Right Of Mind
by ViciousHypnosis
Summary: Spencer is taken hostage by a disturbed young girl from Hotch's past. Is everything as it seems? Hotch must solve an eight and a half year old case to save Reid's life.
1. Kills, Thrills and Sunday Pills

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**A/N- **So this is my first CM FF. I've taken an artistic license on some things. I'll try to clarify what those things are when I can, but if you see something that is inaccurate don't worry about it too much. If at any point during this story you think you have no idea what is going on, it's supposed to be a little like that, so don't worry. Rated M for dealing with 'mature themes' but nothing graphic. I hope you enjoy :)

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. People always say they own the characters they created but if they exist within the Criminal Minds universe or any other TV show world you don't really own them. Lol, what am I talking about. To the story...

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_Prologue_

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**Monday August 16th 2010**

"One pill, two pill, red pill, blue pill" she recited in her hospital whites. Her hair was red and uncontrollable as always, but she felt it matched her personality most of the time.

"Dr Zuez will see you now ." Her older southern friend chimed in, in her best mock secretary accent.

"Say that around here often enough and people will start to believe it" the girl replied eyeing their company knowing all the while the pair of them were not much better.

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**Wednesday August 18th 2010**

The man looked at the girl in his office.

"Daisy said you have been having dreams again."

"Daisy needs to learn to keep her mouth shut." Said the girl, looking to the floor with disinterest.

"She's just looking out for you."

That didn't need to be stated. Daisy had a big mouth but she was loyal. The girl was quiet in her contemplation.

"There are ways of dealing with this, you know. Ways of facing your fears."

* * *

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Monday August 23rd 2010

She stuck her fingers down her throat for what felt like the 57th time that week. Daisy thinks she has an eating disorder. She's a great lady, but not too bright. She wouldn't tell him anymore. She knows what happened.

It's a waiting game now. She knows she is smart, but she is smarter without them.

This has to be right.

* * *

****

Thursday September 2nd 2010

"Oh my god! I am so sorry" said the girl, wiping napkins on his vest, making this worse. She droped it haphazardly and moved on to an easier task. She picked up his bag and began to shove the fallen items in.

"Are you okay? I can't believe I did that! Is their anything I can do Mr..."

The man smiles understandingly and takes off his coffee stained vest.

"Dr actually. Dr Reid. Spencer." he tells her, holding out his hand.

People in the coffee shop seem to step over them, moving on with their days.

"I'll be fine. It's just coffee, right?"

* * *

**Saturday September 4th 2010**

"Reid." He said, answering his phone. It was an unfamiliar number but most likely a team member calling him in on a case. They had been lucky of late. This was his second saturday off in what felt like forever.

"Dr Spencer Reid? Hello. I'm Suzy." Said Suzy who's voice was soft and unfamiliar to him. "I work at Betty's Books, On Bakers street, Rosebyne?" Reid searched his mind but knew he hadn't been there before. The name was certainly familiar as he had seen it next to his favourite coffee place.

"Well I was just at The Coffee House a few days ago and I came upon a wallet belonging to you. I know how these things are. I lost my bag once and it was like I lost my life their for a little while! If you wanna come on by and get it I'll be here all day."

Spencer thanked Suzy prefusely. He knew he must have left it at the coffee shop when the girl spilled coffee on him. He didn't think she had stolen it. There was something about her but he didn't think she was the type, and after all these years he certainly knew what 'the type' was.

A call to the coffee shop hadn't proved successful. His FBI credentials among other things had been inside so it was more than important he retrieve it. Begrudgingly, he put down his book and grabbed his keys.

* * *

****

Saturday September 4th 2010, lunch

Spencer smoothed his hands over his hair as he walked into the book shop. It wasn't busy, but for a small shop it had a lot of books and with only three customers it looked crowded. All looked preoccupied with the books, and Spencer made a note to have a look on his way out.

He approached the counter to see a bubbly looking blonde in her early 20's smiling at him.

"Hi Suzy. I got a call from you earlier. It's Spencer. Spencer Reid?"

"Sorry Mr Reid, but my name is Beth. Are you sure you have the right place?"

Spencer was utterly confused. "This is Betty's Books, isn't it?" He asked, knowing the answer. The blonde nodded. "And you're sure there isn't a Suzy here?"

"Only one other girl who works here Mr Reid and her name ain't Suzy."

Spencer didn't like this. Before he could do anything, the person in the black trenchcoat and beanie turned around. He instantly recognized her as the girl from the coffee shop but before he registered what was going on, a gun was pointed at his head.


	2. O Valencia

**A/N**- I should have said, this is slightly AU in the fact that the whole Tobias thing never happened. Don't worry, this isn't just a carbon copy of that story, it's just, how many times can one guy get kidnapped? :)

Thanks to my first reviewer, I like your theory, it's better than my story LOL. How about another reviewer? Think you guys could manage it?

Sorry about my spelling, I wrote this in Word Pad and I can't spell very well :(

As always, I own nothing.

* * *

This was not good. Spencer reached for his gun instinctively but realized he hadn't bought one. The blonde screamed and the two other patrons of the store, a middle aged man and an older woman, stood stunned at the commotion.

For a moment the pair just stared at each other, willing one another to make a move. Soon though she was waving her gun around at the customers.

"Sorry about this. You can leave" The older woman said nothing and neither did the man, but the man looked hesitant to move. The girl realized what was going on fairly quickly.

The girl sighed.

"Look, I'm not going to hurt her." she said pointing to the Beth with her gun hand, a move she instantly regretted when a sob escaped Beth's lips.

"You wanna be a hero, then take this woman outside and call the police." She said, gesturing with her free hand to the elderly lady beside him.

_Call the police?_ As spencer knew from experience hostage situations were usually either acts of desperation or motivated by greed, but at the moment this seemed like neither. Of course, she certainly did not look calm. She looked stressed and troubled. This all seemed too well planned. Did she know he was an FBI agent?

"She's right." contributed Spencer, whos hands were now in the air. Defeated, the man took the older woman by the arm and made and his way to the door. He would have gone faster if the old woman's legs would have let him.

When they were gone, the girl kept her gun trained on Spencer but turned her attention to the now crying blonde girl.

"Look, you need to relax. I know this isn't easy. I know I'm screwing things up for you. And i'm sorry. But it's going to be over in a minute, and it's going to be a happy ending for you."

She spoke quickly, in short spurts. Spencer said nothing but shift his glance periodically between the two of them. It was strange. She sounded like a mother comforting her child. It was strange not only for the fact that the girl was threatening their lives, but that she was obviously younger than Beth. Late teens Spencer might have guessed.

"I'm sorry it's you. But I can tell you're strong. I need you to do something for me, and then you can walk out of here a free woman. Can you do that for me?"

Spencer gulped at the prospect of a 'favor', but Beth, through tears, managed a small yes.

"Good girl. When you leave, I'm sure you'll find that man that just left. And I'm sure the police will be here soon. I need you to tell them that Valencia Porter is here and she wont speak to anyone but agent Aaron Hotchner of the FBI."

Uh oh spencer thought, eyes wide.

"Give them this," said Valencia, throwing Spencers wallet at Beth and causing her to flinch. She missed but picked it up.

"Do you remember?" Valencia asked.

The girl nodded and wiped away tears with her forearm.

"What's my name?"

"V..Valencia Porter" Beth said quietly with a stutter.

"And who do I want to speak to?"

"Agent Aaron..." Beth mentally kicked herself for not remembering.

"Hotchner." Valencia finished.

"Thankyou. I can't tell you how sorry I am I involved you in this." Valencia said with a sincerity Reid noticed. He hadn't said anything yet. He hadn't needed to intervene or negotiate - The girl, Valencia, while obviously looking worried, spoke with a calm voice and had already agreen to release all the hostages. Something more was going on and he would wait for her to explain it.

Valencia looked to beth a second time with a sad smile. "Off you go." she stated simply. Beth moved cautiously at first, moving slowly past both Spencer and Valencia, but soon broke out into a sprint across the few metres of the shop.

When she left, it was down to business. "Sit down over their" she ordered, pointing to a bare spot against the blue wall. Spencer complied and sat down.

The girl took a beanie she was wearing and through it across the room. It must have been to disguise her obviously recognizable hair when he had entred the shop. She combed a hand through that hair, now becoming more obviously distressed as if she had been holding it together for Bethany's sake. Valencia's eyes darted around the room and Spencer searched for words. She beat him to the punch, talking as she slid down the opposing wall onto the floor.

"I'm sorry about this Dr Reid. I really wanted things to be different." She smiled, almost amused at her previous statement. "I honestly did. And I tried everything. I told them all the time. It's a catch 22, agent Reid. You tell them you aren't crazy and it just confirms to them you are. And maybe I am crazy. In fact, that's not even a question. I am. But I'm right about this." She took another breath and waited for him to say something.

"Who are you? Did I... Do something?" Spencer had a eidetic memory and was aware they had never met before bar their little meeting in the coffee shop. However, it didn't mean she didn't think they had.

She sighed, for not the first time that day.

"My name is Valencia Porter. You didn't do anything. You had the misfortune of working for Agent Hotchner." She paused and looked down, but Spencer did not speak as he had a feeling she would go on. "I needed someone close to him. I couldn't take just anyone. I'm not- I don't want to be a monster. I figured that taking another FBI agent would be hard work but, I don't know, better?" She laughed. She knew this was awful. But she had too, didn't she? "Anyway, I was tossing up between the young doctor and the media liason. Blondie had a kid. You drew the short straw. Sorry."

"And Suzy?"

Valencia laughed half heartedly, In the soft voice Spencer had heard earlier, she said "Well Dr Reid, you came on in to get your wallet and I came on in to give it back to you. Look like it just ain't your day."

Reid realized it had been her on the phone, and he couldn't have felt more stupid. Isn't he supposed to be a genius?

Spencer attempted to take this in. For some reason she had it in her head Hotch did something to her. This was organized. Looking around him, he realized just how well organized it had been. She knew where he got coffee. She had been able to get his ID. She lured him here, knowing he would come. She knew the team, at least, she knew Hotch, JJ and himself. She had chosen to do this in a small shop with windows painted over with Murals and no back doors. She knew what she had to say to the Shop Keeper. He didn't know whether this was good or bad.

After a short few moments Spencer asked the question he should have asked a long time ago.

"Why Agent Hotchner? What did he do?"

"It wasn't his fault. Not entirely. I don't blame him. He's just the only one who can fix it."

"Fix what?" Spencer questioned.

She smiled. "You ask too many questions Dr Reid."


	3. Troubled

**A/N-** Nymphadora-CullenBAU, you spoil me with reviews :) I'm going to have to start stealing your theories soon and pass them off as my own xD

Below is one of the many liberties I took. I don't really know anything about American law enforcement so I just made some things up LOL. I hope it doesn't take you to much out of the story. Also, I'm pretty sure I said 'Betty's Books' was right next to the coffee shop but for the purpose of this story I'm moving it across the street. Boom. I just moved a building with my bare fingers. Oh another thing, wasn't to sure whether any current agents but Hotch were with the BAU eight or nine years ago, but if so, pretend no.

PS- The first person to review this chapter and leave me their name will have a character named after them in the near future.

Beautiful Mind is a great flick but unfortunately I do not own that nor this.

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Hotch heard his phone rang and truth be told, his stomach lurched. The thruth is it always did these days... After Haley. Another horrible person doing horrible things. Innocent people dying. With great trepidation he answered his phone.

"Hotchner."

Frank Limbone was a stern looking man, but on the inside he was a softy. Atleast that's what his wife said- Frank wasn't convinced. He moved from Chigago to the small DC town of Rosebyne not too long ago. A compromise he and his wife had made. Frank Limbone would not be retiring just yet. He hated making this call. If something had ever happened to one of his men...

"Agent Hotchner. I'm Sargent Limbone with the WPD. I hate to bother but we got a hostage situation down in Rosebyne- You know it?"

He knew that name. He remembered how Reid got coffee somewhere there. Traveled 40 minutes from his house just to get coffee. Either way, this was not his problem.

"Sargent, my team doesn't handle hostage situations. I could give you the number of the Hostage Negotiation Unit if you'd like..."

"Thing is, uh, the suspect is asking for you. Passed a message on saying she wouldn't talk to anyone but Agent Aaron Hotchner. Suspect said her name was Valencia Porter?"

Oh God. Hotch took a breath and was about to reply when Limbone beat him to the punch.

"And that's not all there is. I got a wallet here that Miss Porter tossed to the shop keeper when she let her leave-"

"She let her leave?" Question Hotch

"Yeah. Real odd one here, she let all three of the hostages go, apart from one."

"Who was the one?"

Frank raised a hand to his head in frustration.

"That's what I'm trying to say, Agent Hotchner. The wallet... It looked like it belonged to one of your men. A Dr Spencer Reid?"

Double oh God. Hotch's grip on the phone tighened.

"I'll be right there."

Frank gave him the details, Hotch grabbed his keys, then dialed the rest of the team. This wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

Everyone got their around the same time.

"Hotch, I got here as soon as possible" Said Morgan as Hotch got out of his car. Emily was soon behind him and the three saw JJ pull up in her car behind the road blocks and start walking over.

"What's going on?" asked a worried Emily. He had mentioned the bare details but didn't go into specifics.

Hotch was about to fill them in when he saw a man he presumed was sargent Limbone walking over to the now gathered agents.

"Sargent Limbone?" Hotch asked.

"Agent Hotchner. Nice to meet you. I wish it were under better circumstances." said the older salt and pepper gentleman now shaking Hotch's hand.

"Fill us in. What happened."

"Walk and talk." Said the Sargent, walking over to the coffee shop where the local PD had set up.

"Approximately 11 am the suspect walked into Betty's books over here" Said Frank gesturing to the store. "Beth- That's the shop keeper- She said that the suspect stayed for a while, doing nothing, just looking at books. Stayed there for about half an hour apparently..."

"And the girl didn't think it was odd that she wasn't buying anything?" Emily asked.

"Sure. She asked her a few times if she could help but the girl said everything was fine. Didn't concern her to much she said." Taking a breath he said with cynism, "Said she didn't seem like the shop lifting type."

"And what type was she?" Asked Morgan this time.

"Well dressed, polite, if kinda nervous. Late teenager, Maybe 18."

"17 actually. She'd be 17." Said Hotch who had been fairly quiet up until this point.

The team were a little stunned, Hotch had been so quick on the phone, so panicked, that he had told them about Reid and that she had asked for him, but not that he knew her.

"So you knew her then?" Ask the Sargent who voiced everyones question.

Right now they had reached the coffee shop to see a swarm of policemen, snipers, phones and recording devices. Three scared looking people sat in the corner. The team eyed them before sitting down at a spare table strewn with papers and files.

Hotch began.

"Do you remember the string of young girls that were abducted from DC eight years ago? The press called the unsub the Washington Snatcher."

JJ was first to reply. "They never caught him, right?"

"Right." Hotch replied. "It was a year before you joined the buero, Morgan. Girls systematically going missing. Seven of them we counted all between the ages of five and eight. One day the trail went cold. We tried for so long to find the girls, find the unsub... But there was nothing. It was our opinion the girls were dead and with no new victims... there was nothing we could do."

The team looked around at one another while Frank just sat silently, taking in the information. It wasn't like Hotch to just 'give up'. No wonder he remembered this case.

"So what does this have to do with that?" Asked Morgan.

"Our first major lead in the case was a phone call. A young girl rang the hotline we had set up and said her father was the killer."

"Why did you think she was genuine? Don't we get calls from kids all the time" said Prentiss.

"Sure. Pranks, mistakes... This didn't seem like one though. It was a level of detail we didn't think a child was capable of making up."

"So what happened?" Queried JJ

"She hung up. Said she was scared. We tracked the call and found the house where she called from. The Porter residence. The profile would have fit the father. He was white, in his early 40's, dead wife like we had imagined. He had a girlfriend though, a clean criminal history and didn't match the rest of the profile."

"And the girl?" Asked Frank.

"She was another story. She was... Hysterical. The father agreed to have her tested and it was found that not only was she being sexually abused but she was severly mentally disturbed. She wasn't like the other girls though; She looked more mature and she had red hair. The other victims had been brunette. We looked at the father hard, but there was nothing there. We concluded that she had got the information about the victims off television."

"I thought you said she was being sexually abused.."

"She was. Business partner, Alex Newman. He fit the profile more closely than the father ever could. He had groomed her, bought her clothes, gifts... We found photos of her on his home computer. When her father found out, he almost killed Alex."

Morgan spoke. "Where's the sick bastard now?"

"He got out about two years ago. Last I heard he was out of the city in a government housing estate."

"What happen to the girl?" JJ asked, receiving everyones attention.

Hotch shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He had been dreading this issue but he knew he had to face it. He filled them in on her illness, then finished with;

"Last I heard she'd been in St Mary's home for Mental health for the past eight years. I called them on the way over here. They said she escaped one and a half weeks ago."


	4. Hard To Explain

**A/N- **Hey guys, a baby chapter now but I'll post another one straight after this. I'm on holidays which is why I'm just posting these straight away :) A lot of people seem to have this story on alert, but only a few have reviewed and the majority of those have been from one person LOL.

You know who you are and I love you x

PS- There is a Maggie coming up in futher chapters, but I didn't have any use for a female character (and I didn't think you'd appreciate being a dead child lmao).

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JJ made some calls to Saint Mary's and Dean Porter while Morgan and Frank interviewed the man and older lady. Emily and Hotch took on Beth.

Emily sat down next to her while Hotch stood infront. Emily took her hand.

"You're doing great Beth." she assured her.

Beth sniffled and wiped her face with some tissues Frank had provided.

Hotch began; "Can you tell us anything about her? Did she seem nervous, worried? How about angry?"

Beth paused for thought and replied "No. I mean, yeah she was nervous. Calm as well. But not... I mean..."

"What Beth?" Emily asked, squeezing her hand.

"I mean she seemed worried but like she was trying to be calm. She didn't yell or... Mostly, she just seemed... Nice."

"Nice?" Hotch questioned.

Beth half laughed, but it wasn't in humour. She put her hands in her head.

"I know, it sounds stupid..."

"Not at all beth." Said Emily, looking at Hotch.

* * *

"I just got off the Phone with Saint Mary's." Said JJ hanging up the phone. "Everyone over there is busy but I said we'd send someone to go up there."

Hotch gave her a nod.

"So what's the plan?" Asked Morgan.

Hotch thought for a moment. "The clock is ticking. Frank, can you have one of your officers bring in Alex Newman?" He nodded. "Morgan, Frank, you two go down to Saint Mary's and see if her doctors can give anything up. Emily, you stay here so I have someone free in case she asks for something. The clock is ticking." Everyone nodded and went on their way.

* * *

As time wore on Spencer was getting worried. Had Hotch got the message, and had the local police bothered to call? He looked at Valencia and knew something was wrong. She just stared at the floor. Mumbling something to herself, slightly shaking.

Quietly, she continued; "Ivy Sarah Dawn Lily Catherine Maisy April Ivy Sarah Dawn Lily Catherine Maisy April Ivy Sarah Dawn Lily..."

When Spencer finally made out what she was saying, realization hit him.

"I know those names"

She stopped and looked to him. "Lots of people have heard those names. They're common."

"That's not what I meant-"

"I know what you meant." She cut him off.

"The Washington Snatcher. I was finishing another course at University."

She said nothing.

Something dawned on him. "Is that what this is about? Are you one of them?"

She smiled one of her sad smiles again.

"No Spencer. I'm not."


	5. 20 Years Of Snow

**A/N- **So the illness is revealed. And no, it's not creative nor much of a suprise. I just hid it because I had this scene in my head.

As always- Review, review, review!

* * *

"It's now or never Hotch." said Emily.

Hotch took a deep breath and picked up the phone.

* * *

_Ring ring, ring ring_

The noise shocked them both.

She wiped the sweat off her forehead and said; "Right. You answer it. And put it on speaker."

Spencer stood up and made his way to the counter. He picked up the phone.

"Hotch. You're on speaker." Spencer said, slowly walking over to his previous spot and sitting back down.

Hotch gripped the phone tighter.

"Valencia." he said speaking directly to her, bypassing Reid. "What's going on today?"

It had been a long time since she had heard that voice. It bought back a lot of memories.

"Agent Hotchner. I'm sorry about this, but if you had bothered answering any of my letters..."

"What letters?"

"...Or gotten it right the first time around, none of this would have happened."

"I'm sorry you feel that way Valencia. Why don't you come out and we can talk about this."

"I didn't go to all this effort to give up just because you asked nicely." Spencer noticed her closing her eyes and rubbing her temples.

"What do you want Valencia?" asked Hotch.

"What do I want?" She raised her voice, irritated. "I want you to do your job Aaron!" Spencer noticed the use of his first name. She took a moment to compose herself.

"I'm sorry. It wasn't your fault I... He... You just need to fix this, okay?" She pleaded. Reid could here the desperation in her voice. While before she looked angry, now she looked like she was going to cry. Much to Reids relief, she didn't.

"Valencia, what Alex Newman did to you was awful..."

"Alex did nothing to me!" She was angry again. "You think if I had any inkling that Alex had done... that... I'd be defending him? You all tell me he did it. You weren't there Aaron! Dr Mack wasn't there! I was! Don't you dare try and tell me what happened to me! _To me_! I think I'd know better than you!"

"Calm down Valencia, I'm just trying to help..."

"Everyone's trying to help! You're kind of help locked an innocent man in jail for five years! It let a killer go free! How about helping April Dawkins? Or Sarah Felter? How about Dawn Fitzroy?" Her voice calmed again. She spoke softly this time. "What about Catherine Hutchinson? You know she sung herself to sleep every night? Catch a falling star. I didn't get that off television."

Spencer noticed her stare off into space while the other end was silent. Soon Hotch interrupted the silence.

"I'll look into it, okay Valencia? Interview some old witnesses, talk to people involved in the case..."

"You'll talk to my father?" She questioned with hesistence.

"If you want me too."

Silence.

"You need to start compromising..."

"How about this" she said with a lack of patience "How about you fix this and I wont put a bullet in the nice doctor."

Spencer tensed.

"Valencia, listen to me, I know you wouldn't want to hurt anyone. I know that you know there has been enough hurt already. Dr Reid is a human being. He has a job, team mates, friends, a mother..."

Spencers fears were confirmed, but even more troubling, Valencia's whole demeanor suddenly changed. Her face no longer looked worried nor angered. It just looked blank.

"He has a mother?" She said, her voice caught somewhere between apathy and amusement.

"Pardon me?" Asked Hotch.

"I just think it's funny you'd tell me that. I have a mother Agent Hotchner. So do you I imagine, but it's only a wild guess" she said sarcastically.

"I..."

"Don't try and trick me agent Hotchner. Go and fix this. If you call me again I'll know you aren't out doing your job."

and with that, she hung up.

She walked away from the counter and assumed her previous position.

"So, you have a mother." Said Valencia.

Spencer did not reply.

"What is that supposed to mean? Is it some kind of code? A hint?"

Spencer looked at her in mock confusion. "I don't understand..."

Valencia let out a half chuckle.

"My mother, she's very protective. I'd imagine she's outside right now" Spencer lied. "That's why agent Hotchner must have mentioned..."

"_Bzzzt._" she made a failed buzzer sound. "Incorrect. Try again."

He breifly considered trying to convince her that what he had said was the truth, but he imagined it would only make her more angry.

"Okay, the truth is... It's an FBI code. It means... don't do anything rash."

Much to Spencers dismay she burst out laughing. "You seriously expect me to believe that the FBI has a code for 'don't do anything rash' and that it's 'you have a mother'?"

Crap. She wasn't buying any of this.

"Truth this time sparky."

"I don't know what you want me to say..."

She was angry now. "I just want the god damn truth from someone! For once in my stupid life!"

So Spencer gave it to her.

"I can't be sure this is what he meant... But I think... he was trying to pass on a message... You see my mother..."

"Your mother what?" she asked, now calm.

"My mother had schizophrenia."

Silence.

She looked more visably relaxed now.

"Well, third times the charm." She understood this was the truth. "Thank you for being honest."

Spencer didn't speak.

"It's true. I am. I mean I do... Have it. And I know what you're thinking. But this isn't a delusion."

"I wasn't thinking that." Spencer said gently.

"Then maybe you're the crazy one."


	6. Look What You've Done

**A/N- **Flashbacks don't lie *takes off sun glasses* People do.

* * *

Hotch waited for Alex Newman to get to the station, going through the previous conversation in his head. He hoped to god he hadn't gotten spencer in trouble trying to give him that clue. He was furious. He wanted to be angry with Valencia, angry with her for threatning the life of one of his men... But the truth was, she was just a kid. Hotch couldn't say for certain that given her life he wouldn't have broken down too. It was all Newman's fault. Not only had he hurt her in an inconceivable way but he had convinced her that it was someone elses fault. That single idea had put her in an institution and now Reid's life was at risk because of it.

He was going over case files Garcia had sent him when Frank's deputies had arrived with Newman.

He walked through the door causing a fuss. At first he was shouting about his rights, saying he didn't do anything, but now walking into the cafe and eyeing the guns and heavy law enforcement, he shut up. Then he spotted Agent Hotchner.

He laughed a pathetic laugh. "Agent Hotchner!" He yelled, as one might yell as they saw an old friend. "I should have known this was you. What's the deal here, come to ruin my life a second time round?"

"Nobody ruined your life but you Newman. Take him to the interrogation room." He said to the deputies, pointing to a staff room which they had set up earlier.

Once in there, Alex started to lose his cool. Even though his life seemed to suck, it could be worse. He could go back to jail.

"Valencia Porter." Said Hotch who was sitting on the other side of the table. It wasn't the first time he heard that name this week.

"What about her?" Alex said trying to seem nonchalant.

"What about her? You went to jail for molesting her. The name doesn't ring a bell?"

Now Newman looked annoyed.

"I didn't..." He began to yell, but then he stopped, speaking calmly. "You know what? It doesn't matter, because I've been singing the same tune for almost nine years and nobody. ever. listens."

"I'm listening, Alex. I'm listening to how you can explain the photographs. I'm listening to why you spent so much money on your business partner's prepubescent child. I'm listening to why..."

"Look." He said matter of factly. "The toys, the books, the trips to the zoo and to the park... I felt sorry for her alright? You know my history. Drunk father, dead mother. I_ related_ to her. Dean Porter wasn't a drunk but he wasn't exactly a great father either. He was dissmisive. She was lonely, smart and she had no friends, she never talked to anyone but me..."

"And the photographs Alex? Was that just your way of 'getting close'?" Hotch spat with disgust.

"I've been in jail for five years. I know this is the oldest one in the book...but I was framed..."

Hotch laughed.

"There's no other explanation!" Alex shouted.

"Yeah, accept that you groomed her and raped her! Did you like it Alex? Like the way she screamed?"

"Stop it!" Yelled alex. "If I'm this big bad monster you make me out to be then why has Valencia never changed her story? Why has she always claimed I was innocent? My only supporter has been my supposed victim! How about you explain that!"

Hotch paused while Alex just looked down at his hands.

"Always? Never changed?"

Alex's heart sped up but he didn't say anything.

Softly, hotch questioned; "Have you seen her?"

Alex stayed silent.

"Have you seen her!" Hotch yelled with fury.

"Yes! yes, yes... She came by alright! Four days ago... She said she was sorry! That she would fix it! I told her to leave, but..."

"You didn't think of calling someone?" Said Hotch incrediously.

"Oh yeah." Alex said sarcastically. "Get both of us in trouble once again. Great plan, why didn't I think of it?"

"Valencia is out there right now" he pointed outside "'Fixing it' with a gun!"

"Oh god, oh god..."

"Tell me everything!" Yelled Hotch, slamming his fist on the table. It made Alex jump.

"Okay, It was like this..."

* * *

_Four days ago_

Valencia looked at the map she had downloaded off the library computer. She remembered Alex's old house. It was big and beautiful. This was, in a word, awful. Rubbish lined the streets. Groups of boys young and old loitered around the front, eyeing her. She thought that perhaps they expected her to be scared. They didn't know what scared meant.

She walked past them and entered the complex. The walls were moldy and the paint chiped off the walls. She made her way up the stares, hoping they didn't break beneath her.

_24, 23, 22... 21. _

She looked at the writing on the door in red paint. _Pervert._

She looked down with guilt.

_Yep, this was the one._

_Knock knock._

Alex Newman answered the door with great caution. He'd answered it once and got hot water thrown at him. He was lucky it wasn't acid. Agent Hotchner had ruined his life. People knew who he was now. It didn't matter where he went, they would always know. They always found out. He would always be a child molester to the world.

He opened the door very little, and seeing a young girl stand awkwardly in the doorway, he knew he wasn't in trouble. He opened it wide now.

He looked at the girl for a second before it hit him like a freight train.

"Valencia," he said. It was a whisper. It was the hair that gave her away.

She looked at him with her big hazel eyes that were now watering up.

He wanted to say so many things, but all he could say with a gulp was; "You shouldn't be here Valley."

"Do you hate me?" she asked, barely audible. It was clear she wasn't going to leave.

"Of course not. I know it wasn't your fault. " He said with truth but also pity for her. "Come in." he said, opening the door.

She sat down on the couch while he just stood looking at her from the door.

"I told them, I told them so many times Alex... I said it was him. They wouldn't listen to me. I'm so, so sorry." Tears streaked her cheeks now.

He moved to sit next to her. He thought about pulling her in for a comforting hug, but thought better for it.

"Did you get my letters?"

"What letters?"

She shook her head in dissaproval. She'd spent a long time writing those. Now was not the time to worry about it though.

"It doesn't matter."

He spoke now. "The last I heard you were, in a..." What was the right term?

"Nut house?" She asked, smiling slightly. He smiled too.

"Yeah, well, I was until a week ago. I kind of... escaped" she said, risking a look at him.

"Valencia..." He said with uncertainty.

"Yeah, I know, I know." She said. "I just want you to know I'm going to fix it. He's going to pay for this and the rest of us are going to get justice."

"So you still think it was..."

"Daddy dearest?" She said with spite. "I don't think. I know." Softer now, she said; "You believe me, don't you?"

"Of course I do Valley." She smiled at two things. The first was the use of her childhood nickname. People didn't call her that anymore. The second was how good it felt to hear those words. Nobody ever believed her.

"But..." He said

"But what?"

"Well, you're not going to..."

"Kill him?" She finished off his thoughts. Alex frowned.

"No. That would be to easy."

She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Now it was Alex's turn to cry. A single tear fell down his face. He couldn't move, he didn't want to do anything that might be misconstrued as something else. Valencia stood but Alex just stared into space.

"I'm sorry it turned out this was for you Alex. But this... It's all going to get better for us. I promise."

And with that, she left.

On her way out of the building, a man approched her. "Hey sweetheart." He said with a creepy smile. "Looking to do any business today? I got some H, White Lady, Beat, Tina, Eckie, Special K... You name it, I got it."

Valencia didn't know what half those things meant but she fingered the money she had stolen earlier in her pocket. She hated stealing, but surely the person she stole it from would understand if they knew why she needed it. A thought came to her.

"How about a gun?"

_

* * *

_

_Now_

"And why should I believe that?" Asked Hotch.

"It doesn't matter..."

"And I suppose you're going to tell me why Alex?"

"How many hours of interrogation do you think the two of us have had together Agent Hotchner?"

Hotch didn't answer.

"All I've ever told you with the truth. And all you've ever done it not believe me. You think I'm going to start caring now? Go to hell Agent."

Agent Hotchner got up and left, passing the deputy who was manning the door. He didn't like this. It couldn't be true... Could it? No. He didn't put an innocent man in prison. Did he? No. Newman must have planned the whole thing. Probably gave her a gun too, where else could she have gotten it?

_Off any street corner, Aaron._

Hotch put his hands to his head. This was going to be a long day.

He walked over to Emily who was going over old case files.

"Emily, I'm going to see Dean Porter."

She looked up at him inquisitively. "What, now? You can't send a deputy? Me?"

"I have to do it myself, besides, i need someone here I can trust. I'll have my phone on me. Call me if anything- I mean _anything _changes."

"Of course Hotch, but shouldn't you take someone with you?"

"Already on it. Have Garcia text me the number for Detective Maggie Odette."


	7. Medicine Man

**A/N- **Hey guys :) Thanks for the reviews as always. This ones a three parter :P

I took another liberty here. For the purpose of this story adult mental health wards = 16+ not 18+

Love ya's.

* * *

After what had seemed like decades of silence, Valencia spoke.

"I'm sorry about your mother."

Reid looked up at her sad, not sure whether it was for her or himself.

"It's hard enough living with it in here." she tapped the gun to her head. "I can't imagine what it would be like... Sorry."

"It's okay." Spencer didn't know what to say but he felt like keeping her talking was a good thing. "I'm sure it harder on you."

"Dr Reid," He said nothing but signified he was listening. "Do you think the ends justify the means?"

He pondered it but couldn't think of what the right thing to say would be.

"No." he said quietly.

She looked down.

"Me either."

* * *

Frank and Morgan arrived at St Mary's in a little under an hour. The place was no Ritz but it was adequate. Not quite the stuff horror films were made of, Morgan thought.

The walls were like you'd expect- White, with only child like drawings breaking the blandness.

"Sargent Limbone? Detective Morgan?" A mousy young brunette in a pink cardigan said.

"Yes," Morgan said, extending an arm. Frank just smiled. "And you are..."

"Allison Berkowski, I'm Dr Mack's assistant. He's been waiting for you. I'll take you too his office."

On the way there, Frank asked Allison a question.

"Did you know Valencia Porter?"

"Oh yes," she smiled. "Everyone knew Valencia."

"Why is that?" Morgan asked.

"She was different to the other people here. She had her problems of course... Delusions, nightmares, anxiety attacks... But she was smart. And always so caring."

Allsion smiled as if recalling a memory.

"There was this one time when Michael Dalco, a patient, got his hands on a pair of scissors and threatened to cut his wrists. She was the only one who managed to talk him down." This time, she frowned. "I just can't believe she'd do something like this."

Now they had reached Dr Macks office. Allison knocked at the door.

"Yes?" He called out. Allsion opened the door. "Dr Mack, the FBI are here to see you."

"Of course. Come in." He gestured to two seats in front of his desk while Allsion excused herself.

Frank decided that they were the same age. The doctor had little eyes and was a bit on the hefty side. Not that Frank was one to judge.

"I got this while you were waiting." Said Doctor Mack, handing Valencia's medial file to Morgan.

He read over it while Frank asked a question.

"The girl's been in here most of her life, is that normal?"

"Not at all. Schizophrenia usually begins in early adulthood, but Valencia's case was very rare. She's been with us here almost two years, we moved her over to the adults ward when she turned 16. The truth is, she had no where to go. No other family apart from her father and her condition would have deteriorated ten fold had we forced her to live with him. If we had released her, she would have gone into the foster care system, and there aren't many people willing to take in a girl with Valencia's... needs. The plan was to reassess her once she turned 18."

"You said her case was rare..." Said Frank, willing the man to elaborate.

"Yes, well, her delusions started at such an early age as I believe you know. When she was eleven she stabbed herself twice in the stomach, convinced there was something inside of her."

Morgan and Frank shot each other a look. This didn't sound very good.

"Though there has been remarkable progress." He continued, almost proud. "On medication, she's aware these were fantasies and she ceases to have them. All but one."

"The Washington Snatcher." Said Morgan, finishing the mans sentence. The doctor nodded

Frank asked, "Can you give us any clue to what we're dealing with here doc?"

Dr Mack frowned like he was trying to decide.

"Valencia is a smart girl. That's not just being kind- She has an IQ of 140. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't hurt a fly. However, she's off her medication I believe. Her roommate Daisy Lilac admitted to one of the doctors earlier that she had been throwing up about a week up to her escape. It's been a long time since she has been off her medication- I'm not sure what she is capable of."

"Best guess?" Asked Morgan.

The doctor thought again.

"I'd say that she is more of a danger to herself than she is to the hostage. I don't think she'd hurt him- Well, unless she thinks he will hurt her or that he will hurt someone else. It's impossible to predict the actions of a schizophrenic mind."

Morgan looked down at the file and saw something scribbled to the side about letters.

"What's this about letters?"

"Ah. Valencia spends most of her time reading books or writing her letters. Until she met her roomate Daisy she barely talked to anyone. We used to read them, the letters, but as time wore on we realized they just said the same things. We told her we mailed them, but of course, we didn't. We keep them in a box out back."

"We're gonna need to see those letters and have a word with Miss Lilac" Said Frank.

"Of course. I'll take you to the letters."

* * *

Hotch pulled up on the roadside and looked at the numbers dialed in his phone.

"Uh, Detective Odette?"

Margaret Odette paused in a room full of busy people. She knew that voice anywhere.

"Hotch?"

"Maggie." He said, closing his eyes.

For a moment nobody talked. Hotch wouldn't have called if he had felt there were any other options, but having worked the Washington Snatcher case with her all those years ago, she seemed to be the only person who could truly understand.

"Hotch... What... Where are you?"

"Outside your station." He said in a matter of fact way.

"What?" she screeched a little to loud, turning heads.

"It's Valencia Porter."

Suddenly, Maggie couldn't move.

"Of all the cases you could have called me for Hotch..."

"I know. But this is important. She has a gun and she's threatening to kill one of my agents."

She didn't say anything.

"Do you have time?" He asked.

"I'll be right out."


	8. The Wrote And The Writ

**A/N-** Hey guys :) Sorry about this Chapter... I went a little line crazy. Also, a little italic crazy. I hope it's not too hard to follow.

* * *

Frank and Morgan stood in the dimly lit room going over the letters. There were no windows in the room, it felt almost appropriate given what they were doing. There were literally hundreds of letters.

"Right," Frank said. "We got letters for Newman, The Hutchinsons, The Dawkins, The Fitzroys... All the parents of the victims. Some news stations, and Agent Hotchner."

Luckily for the two of them all the letters were neatly marked with the date they had been written.

"Looks like she started writing these around five years ago. She would have been 12."

They sat down and read some of them.

* * *

_March 16th 2007._

_Dear Mrs and Mr Fitzroy,_

_I hope this letter doesn't cause you any pain. I know people don't believe me, I know I'm only 14. I know that you're daughter would be almost the same age as me. I'm so sorry._

_I'm not sure if you know about me, I hope Agent Hotchner told you. He doesn't believe me, but my father did this to your little girl. I'm so sorry. She's gone now, I saw it happen. She wasn't in pain. _

_She used to tell me about her dog Piggy. She told me she named it after her favourite cartoon._

_I just think you should know the truth. Your daughter was a beautiful, smart, funny little girl. I'm sorry she was taken away from you._

_V._

_

* * *

_

All the letters to the parents were the same. Expressing her sorrow, telling them her father had killed them, talking about what a great girl the victim in question was.

_

* * *

_

_May 23rd 2008_

_Alex,_

_I heard you are getting out of prison soon. I couldn't be more happy. I am so sorry for everything that happened to you. It's so unfair, I wish I could change it all. Believe me, I tried. I try so hard. I write these letters, but no one writes back. Not even you Alex. But I understand why._

_I just want you to know, need you to know... You were like a father to me. The closest i've ever had. The one I have... He's no man. He's a monster._

_One day I'll fix this. I promise you that._

_V._

_

* * *

_

_September 18th 2008_

_Agent Hotchner._

_Please listen this time. You got the wrong man. Please. I know you did. I just need you to reach out and help me. If you did, I would be for ever greatful. I know the parents of the victims would too._

_Dean Porter did this. Dean Porter. I know you talked to him, you believed he was innocent. You were tricked as so many others have been tricked. I don't blame you, I just need you to help me. To help Alex and all the victims of the so called Washington Snatcher. All the victims of my father._

_Please._

_V._

* * *

Morgan put down the letter in his hand. "God damn it. If Hotch had gotten any of these letters then maybe we could have avoided this whole thing."

"Can't change the past." Said Frank. "Believe me boy, I've tried. We just gotta work out how to change the present."

Morgan suddenly looked up, an idea in his head.

"Change." He said simply.

"Huh?"

"Change. Something had to change. We need to look at the letters from the past month or so and see what happened."

Frank ruffled through them.

"Only letters dated that recent have been for agent Hotchner. No one else."

Morgan picked up one and read it out loud.

* * *

_August 1st 2010_

_Agent Hotchner._

_I'm sick of this. I'm sick of all of you. Just help me. Just fix it._

_V._

* * *

"Shorter, more erratic. What does she mean by 'all of you'?" Said Morgan.

"Maybe she meant the people that weren't replying to her letters."

"Maybe." Said Morgan, unconvinced.

Frank picked one up this time and read it.

* * *

_August 7th 2010_

_Hotchner. Hotchner Hotchner Hotchner._

_I swear to god If you don't help me... _

_People are evil Agent. Not all, but most. Good people suffer and the bad ones don't. Bad ones feed off the good ones. Sometimes you think people are good and they turn out to be bad. I don't need to tell you that, you do it for a living. Just fix it, okay? Do your damn job and FIX THIS._

_V. _

* * *

Morgan thought for a moment before speaking.

"We've been treating this like the schizophrenia is the cause of her actions. Maybe it's not. We can't ignore it, but something changed here. We need to look for a trigger. Something happened before she escaped that made her doubt humanity. Someone she trusted betrayed her. But who?"

"Her roomate?" Frank questioned.

"It's a start." Said Morgan, nodding his head.

* * *

Hotch looked at Maggie in the passengers seat. He remembered what happened like it was yesterday.

* * *

_Eight years ago_

_Maggie sat quietly, but she was doing it loudly. Her face was so deep in thought that anyone could spot in a mile a way. She had been nothing but a pain in Hotch's side of late. She hadn't backed any of his decisions._

_"What is it Odette?" Hotch asked with a sigh._

_"I don't think Newman did it. I think there is more to this case."_

_"He had child pornography on his computer. Photos of her. He groomed her."_

_"But-"_

_"He also fits the profile. Reserved, white male, comes from a broken home..."_

_"You just desribed yourself Hotch. How can you be sure that little girl isn't telling the Truth?"_

_"She thought she was seeing the ghosts of dead children. The psych eval says..."_

_"So she's sick. Sick people can't be correct?"_

_"Maggie." He said in a quiet but stern voice that shut her up. He grabbed her arm rather harshly and guided her to his office._

_"Just because you have feelings for the suspect..."_

_Maggie, who was willing to put up a fight, was now dumb struck. He couldn't be serious, could he?_

_"Feelings? The only feeling I have is that he didn't do it."_

_"I saw the way you looked at him." Hotch said._

_Maggie took a deep breath. She couldn't believe her ears. This was ridiculous._

_"Are we still talking about the case here, Agent Hotchner?" She said, spitting out his name sarcastically._

_He didn't say anything._

_"You kissed me." She said._

_"Odette..."_

_"No!" she yelled a little to loudly. "No. You told me your wife cheated on you. You told me you cared about me. That you'd leave her. You kissed me!"_

_"That was before. You know how it is Maggie. She's pregnant...I have too..."_

_"I know Aaron. I'm not asking you to run away with me. If you want to live your life being miserable, so be it. God help me, I understand it. I even respect it. Is it too much to ask for a little respect back? To be able to voice my professional opinion without being accused of having feelings for the suspect?"_

_It was at that point Hotch realized how childish and unprofessional he was being. He wished he could have apologised to her afterwards. Told her he understood he was being unreasonable. But he didn't_

_"This isn't about that. You're too attached to the case. I get it. Cases involving children are hard on everyone involved. If you can't handle it..."_

_She laughed._

_"If that's how it is Aaron, If that's how it's going to be..."_

_She reached for her badge and gun and threw it on his table._

_"I quit."_

* * *

_Now_

The tension was thick in the car. Hotch had clinically filled her in on the details. She said nothing but indicated she was paying attention. The silence was weighing on him and he thought he should say something.

"Maggie..." It was a voice she had heard before.

"Hotch. Look, Don't worry about it." She sighed. "It was a long time ago. We both did stupid things. Said things we regret. It's in the past now."

He loved how she could predict every move he was going to make. It's why she was a great agent.

He said nothing but nodded. She spoke again but this time in a more gentle voice.

"I heard about Haley, Hotch. I'm so sorry. So, so sorry. I thought about calling, but it didn't seem appropriate."

He said nothing again.

"How's your son?"

Though he missed him, he smiled at the mention of Jack.

"He's a great kid. I haven't seen him in a long time though."

She put a hand on his shoulder in a purely friendly way.

"I'm sorry Hotch. I always thought you'd make a great father."


	9. Choices

**A/N-** Thanks for all the reviews. Especially my little review queen, yes, you know who you are :)

It's quiet funny because you bought up A Beautiful Mind and it was sort of the where I was going with her illness and the way she handles it (you'll see!)

This chapter is a little on the short side, but I'll upload the next one soon as I've already written it. You will meet a very special person. I hope you can handle the experience.

As always, **REVIEWS REVIEWS REVIEWS!**

_"Kill him Valley. They aren't going to listen to you. Kill him like your daddy killed me!"_

she shook her head. "No" she whispered, eyes watering. Spencer looked at her and wondered if she was talking to him.

_"Kill the doctor. Let agent Hotchner know what it's like to be responsible for someone's death."_

"Stop it..." again, a whisper.

"Valencia?" Questioned Reid.

_"Because you are responsible Valley. You let him kill me. You let him! And now what are you going to do? You're pathetic. You let him kill me! You let him call all of us. So kill him. KILL HIM VALENCIA!"_

"NO!" she shouted, grabbing a book and furiously throwing it across the room. A single tear made it's way down her face now. Aware of her display and Dr Reids prying but troubled eyes, she felt embarrassed. He looked like he was going to say something but she got in before him.

"I know nobody is there, okay? I know it's in my head. It doesn't make it any less loud."

She looked down now. Sweat poured off of her. Spencer was worried but didn't want to aggravate her by saying anything about it. Instead he decided to go with a different route.

"What happened Valencia?" Spencer questioned gently against his better judgement.

"Excuse me?" She asked, confused.

"Why are you doing this?"

She thought for a moment.

"I guess you have a right to know." She said, gesturing to her gun. It was true. After all she put him through, he deserved to know.

"My father killed those girls. All eight of them. And he... Well he did other things too."

Spencer could see it on her face: Shame. She couldn't look him in the eye, though she could feel his stare burning into her.

"I watched them all get killed... tortured... They said Alex Newman hurt me. But he didn't. Alex wouldn't do that. I'm sick of them telling me what happened. None of them were there. I was!"

"That must be frustrating." At this point Spencer didn't know if he was saying this out of compassion or to get her on side.

She assumed the latter but kept talking anyway.

"Nobody ever listens to me. And this isn't about me. This isn't about getting justice for Alex or April or Catherine or Dawn or any of the others. What if he does it to other people Dr Reid? What if he hurts them too? People like that... They don't just stop..."

She risked a glance at Spencer to make sure he was listening, he nodded as if he was.

"I know I'm crazy, Dr Reid. I don't question that. But I know the difference between a delusion and reality. I know you're real, and I know the girl covered in blood standing next to you is not."

Spencer felt chills up his spine, somewhat irrationally. It was the way she said it, as if it were totally normal.

"So when I got out, I saw Alex. I bought a gun. I intended to go to the parents of the girls and tell them what happened. I knew I couldn't see them all, it would be a matter of time before one of them called the police, asking why a crazy girl was harrassing them about their lost children. But I thought If I could just get through to one... Just talk to them..."

"So why didn't you?" Spencer interjected.

"I was going too. Even found one. Sarah Felter's mother. The father had left a few years earlier."

Spencer looked at her. She looked at the ground once again but she didn't look sad anymore. She was devoid of any emotion.

"When I knocked on the door... She just looked me right in the eyes. She didn't say anything for a while. Then she asked me how old I was. '17', I said. And then she started crying. She apologised, said I'd be the same age as someone she loved."

Dr Reid was a professional. He was an FBI agent. He had certainly seen and heard worse things than this. People tortured for years. Bodies, cut to pieces. He had endured so much pain in his own life. He had learned to block things like this out. It didn't stop him though from feeling the prefuse wave of sadness that swept over him. There should of been another word for it. Something poetic or even clinical. But no, all he felt was sad.

"How could I do it, Spencer? How could I bring up something like that to her? She's been through as much as anyone."

This time she looked him in the eyes. It almost hurt her to do so.

"I know what I'm doing is evil. This is horrible and you... You don't deserve this. I just want to be able to live another day without worrying my father is killing some kid. Or worse. So many worse things... I've seen him do them all..."

Now she was looking at the floor again but she cleared her throat and looked back up.

"I hope Agent Hotchner can figure this out. I hope they'll realize that I'm right. I know that wont be enough for you, and it shouldn't. I didn't want to hurt anybody."

"You don't have to hurt anyone Valencia. We can walk out together, you and me. I'll make sure we get to the bottom of this."

She thought about it momentarily before shaking her head.

"I'm sorry Dr Reid. It's too late now."

"It's never too late Valencia."

She let his words hang.


	10. The Child Is Gone

**A/N-** The plot thickens! Thanks too my reviewers. I just wanna give a shout out to . I love my long reviews and I would have replied last chappy but ya beat me by a couple of minutes. Don't worry, I haven't forgot about Hotch, Maggie and Daddy Porter. Next Chapter guys :)

* * *

On the way out of the room Morgan flagged down Allison.

"Dr Mack said you'd be speaking to Daisy." she said with some uncertainty.

"No need to worry, sweetheart. Just some routine questions, to make sure everyone comes out of this whole mess safely." Frank said.

"I understand." And she did.

"Can you take us to her?" Asked Morgan.

"Sure."

On the way down the hall, Frank felt a little uncomfortable. Moaning and screetching swelled in the hall way. Laughter too, but not a pleasent kind of laughter. It was amplified in his mind, the place giving him the creeps. Morgan's mind was only filled with anger. Anger at her doctors for not passing on the letters. Anger at her for taking his friend hostage.

Still on their way, Morgan realized he knew nothing about Miss Daisy Lilac. He was a professional... He should know better than this. His mind was going at 100 times an hour though. This was no regular case.

Suddenly they stopped at a door, upon realizing it was Daisy's, Morgan realized he needed to ask some questions.

"Is there anything we should know about Miss Lilac?"

Allison gave it some thought.

"Well, she grew up in Kentucky as Shoshanna Prejektorinski. She's 24, she worked as a stripper before coming here. She can be a bit... troublesome, at times. She talks to everyone but doesn't seem to get along with anyone. Well, apart from Valencia. They're like sisters, but even they have their problems at time."

"What's she in here for Allison?" Frank asked inquizitively.

"She's a manic depressive. She often suffers flashbacks. Her mother would keep her locked in a closed for days on end and her step father abused her. She ended up coming in here after trying to electrocute herself in the bath. You uh, you might want to be careful..."

"Is she dangerous?" Morgan asked.

The girl went bright red. Allsion was quiet a private girl. Always dressed in conservative clothes and hadn't done anything more naughty than kiss her boyfriend in public. She hated explaining things like this, but more than that, she hated hating it. She was an adult, afterall.

"No, it's not that. Daisy suffers from...Hypersexuality. She's what we would have once called a Nymphomaniac."

Frank tried to hide a smirk at the girls discomfort, and Morgan settled with an "Oh."

Allison asked if they were ready and Morgan said yes. Allison knocked at the door.

"Hello?" Allison asked. Daisy looked up from where she was sitting on her bed, painting her toenails. She barely registered Allison.

Making her way towards the three, or more specifically, the one, she smiled.

"Well hello, handsome" She said in Morgans direction. It was now his turn to shift uncomfortably.

"The FBI are here to see you Daisy." Said Allison. Daisy was now standing infront of them.

"FBI huh? I'd make a crack about female body inspection, but that would be naughty." She said in a cheeky voice, now running a finger down Morgans chest.

"Daisy..." Allison warned, her cheeks getting red.

"Allison." She said her name in a matter of fact voice. "You're such a prude, you know that? If you lost the cardigan and let your hair down every once and a while, you'd be pretty doable."

At this point, Frank could feel the embarrassment radiating off Allison and felt slightly sorry for her. Besides, Frank thought, she was plenty doable. Not that he would ever betray his wife.

"I think we have it from here." Said Morgan, releiving Allison as she made her escape.

For a moment Daisy just looked to Morgan with lust and Morgan looked from her to Frank wondering what to do. Much to Morgan's thanks Frank saved him from the situation.

"Daisy, we're here about Valencia."

Suddenly she pulled back her hand as if Morgan was contaminated.

"V?" Said Daisy in a sad voice.

The two men said nothing but made their way into the room. Daisy resumed her previous postion on the bed, but this time she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

"Is she... Okay?"

Morgan thought it best to not relay the whole scenario. Instead he went with;

"That's what I'm here to make sure of Daisy."

Frank noted that she looked just like any other 20 something. She was gorgeous. Her medium length blonde hair touched her shoulders and it suited her perfectly. She was volumptious, Frank thought, before internally slapping himself for noticing such a thing.

"What do you want to know?" Asked Daisy.

Frank was standing in the corner of the room while Morgan sat across from Daisy on what was presumably Valencia's bed.

"What can you tell us about Valencia?" Morgan prompted gently.

"She's like a little sister to me. Too smart for her own good though. Doesn't like to get dressed up or nothin', but she's still beautiful. I can't believe she's done something like this. Thing about Valencia is... She's pretty much a nun. Wouldn't do anything bad."

Frank walked over to a shelf and picked up a photoframe. In it was Daisy and a red headed girl he recognized from the case files. Daisy looked like she was having the time of her life but the other girl just had a sheepish smile on her face. Still, it was the most alive Frank had seen Valencia in any of her photos. It could have been a photo of two young friends out on the town. You'd never know.

"Is this the two of you?" Asked Frank, even though he already knew the answer.

Daisy smiled fondly and walked over to Frank and took the photo out of his hands tenderlly, looking at the photo.

"Uh huh. This was the day of the party. Well, if you could call it a party. Some loons dancing to old songs and drinking orange punch. Valencia spent all day reading until I convinced her to dance. She really came out of her shell that day."

She put the photo back in it's place and walked back over to the bed.

"Did anything change in the past couple of weeks Daisy?"

"I..." She looked around nervously.

"It's important." Said Morgan. "Neither of you are going to get in trouble. It's just important we help Valencia."

"Help her?" Daisy now looked rather angry. "All Valencia ever talked about was stopping her Daddy. The things that sick bastard did to her... She must have written hundreds of letters to the FBI. It was all she did. Why didn't you help her then?"

"We didn't get the letters Daisy." Morgan knew it was probably a bad idea to tell her this. He didn't want to turn her against the doctors but at this point he didn't care about that. He just wanted for this whole ordeal to be over with. "Her doctor never sent them."

Frank internally questioned Morgan's judgement for sharing that information with the girl but he was not one to question the FBI.

"That bastard..." She looked like she was retreating back into her head, her once angry face lost in thought.

Morgan reached out and grabbed her hand. "It's important you stay with me. All we want to do is make sure Valencia's okay. You want that don't you?"

"Of course..."

"Then you need to tell me what changed."

She paused. She didn't care anymore. Valencia was more important than anyone here.

"Listen, G Man, You got a bunch of crazy girls walking around here. If I yelled fire how many people you think would walk on right by without doing nothin'?"

Morgan didn't say anything, but her understood her point.

"Sometimes... Sometimes people take advantage of that. Now I don't mind it myself, I'm a big girl. But Valencia... She's insanely smart. And she want's to be strong, she want's to be this ass kicking super woman. But she isn't, you know? She's gentle and quiet and kind."

"Are you trying to say somebody did something to Valencia?" Morgan asked, wishing he didn't have too. Frank held his breath in the corner

"It wasn't rape, if that's what you're thinkin'. Dr Mack is known for being a little... Handsy. He hasn't tried anything with me... He likes 'em young. I found Valencia crying one day, and I'd never seen her do that before. Said Dr Mack had a new plan. Said it was to face her fears. Now, like I said, V is no dummy. She knew what the old perv was up too."

"What did he do Daisy?"

She sighed. "Just ran her hand up her skirt I think. Tried to make her undress, you know. Touched her up a bit. She ran out before her got the chance to do anything."

Morgan wanted to punch something. Not as much as Frank.

"Did Valencia say she was going to do anything?"

"What, like run away?" Morgan nodded.

"No. She was throwing up all the time though. I talked to her about Bulimia. I had it when I was a teenager." she laughed. "I'm such an idiot. If I had of realized..."

"This isn't your fault Daisy." he said honestly, squeezing her hand gently.

They had everything they needed to know.

"Thanks for everything Daisy." Said Frank. Morgan squeezed her hand and smiled one last time before heading to the door.

"Wait!" Called Daisy. The men turned around.

"If you find her, will you tell her something for me?"

Morgan nodded.

"Mexico. She'll know what it means."


	11. Keep Breathing

**A/N-** This story is fun to write. I usually get fed up after about two chapters.

Dean Porter- Is he really the man Valencia thinks he is? Hmmmmm...

* * *

Hotch pulled up outside the Porter house and risked a glance at Maggie. Maggie could see him looking but pretended not too.

"Maggie..."

"Hotch, I said we didn't have to talk about it."

"I know you did. And if I had the time, I'd fight you on it. Right now, I need to save my team member. But I need you to know that I regret how I acted. You were the best agent I ever had and if things had been differently..."

She didn't say anything.

"I just thought we should clear the air before we do this."

"Well come on then," She said, putting on a smile. "Let's go save your agent."

The house was exactly how Hotch had remembered it. The lawn was green and healthy, the paint crisp and white with blue trim. It even had a white picket fense. The American dream.

Hotch and Maggie made there way to the door.

_Knock knock_

Dean Porter scratched his head. He wondered who was at the door. After what happened to Valencia he had gone back to work. Previously he had worked from home with that disgusting man Alex Newman. He just needed to distract himself. To forget everything that happened. After a while though, avoidance just became a new reality and he opted to sell from home again. He sold computer parts on the internet, fixed computers when he needed some spare change. He thought perhaps one of his customers had had a computer emergency but they knew that saturday was his day off. He opened the door. Maggie noted he was still quiet attractive. Of course she had never been 'attracted' to him, but objectively she could tell that he was very good looking. Though, she had always been interested in someone else.

All of a sudden everything came flooding back to Dean, like a punch in the gut.

He gulped.

"Agent Hotchner? Agent Odette?" he asked dumbfounded.

"It's Detective Odette now actually." she extended a hand and he shook it, but the look of pure shock never evaded his face.

"Is there something... Did something happen to Valencia?" He asked in a worried voice.

"That's what we're here about." Said Hotch. "May we come in?"

"Of course." Said Dean. "Come in."

The house was eerily the same. The same photographs on the wall. It was immaculate, spotless and the furniture from what Hotch remembered was excactly the same in the exact same place.

They sat down in the lounge, Dean in a recliner and Maggie and Hotch on the couch. Dean offered them coffee but they politely declined.

Dean Porter looked nervous. Anyone would be, waiting for news on their child. The agents knew which tact they would take as it was a tact they had used so many times before. Investigation as conversation. Some small talk, making the man feel comfortable all the while gathering information. Now was not the time for chit chat, but from experience, this route got people to open up faster than a night in a jail cell. As they say, you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

"This house looks just the same." Maggie stated with a smile. "I remember how Meredith used to keep it so clean. Are you too still together?"

"Oh, no. The pressure got too much for her I'm afraid. I don't blame her- I was a mess. After everything that happened with Valencia and the police..."

"Of course." Said Maggie, this time a comforting smile. "Mr Porter, When was the last time you saw her? Valencia, that is." Asked Maggie.

Dean thought.

"About three years."

Dean saw the look on his guests faces.

"I know what you're thinking, agents. It's just, she was so wrapped up in her delusions. So wrapped up." He said hollowly, staring into space. "When she was younger and I would visit her, all she would do was cry and scream. She was so scared of me. As she got older, she wasn't scared anymore. She just... Hated me. So filled with contempt."

He paused and no one said anything.

"Do either of it knows what that feels like? For your own child to hate you? And not in a typical teenage way either... In the kind of way that no one should hate anyone. The kind of hate that causes war, death, destruction..."

A tear rolled down the mans face now. He caught it quickly with the back of his hand.

"To have your daughter think you've done these horrible, disgusting things and to know that they've happened to her. I just want to help her, agents. But she wont let me in. And if me being there is going to cause her that kind of pain, then I'm not going to be there. Even if it means enduring pain of my own."

Hotch felt bad, he didn't want to come here. He had interviewed this man so many times. He imagined what it would feel like if Jack thought he did those things. He shuddered at the thought. He knew he had to be here though. If not for the case, for the simple fact that Valencia was a minor and this was her father. Maggie listened to the mans story and felt nothing but sorrow and regret. When things had gone down, Maggie had doubted the mans story. Hotch's words echoed through her mind. Maybe he had been right. Maybe she had only suspected Dean Porter to defy Hotch.

"That's very selfless Mr Porter." Maggie stated honestly. She wondered if her remembered all those years ago when she had asked him if he had molested his daughter. It's not something one would soon forget. If Maggie had been a softer person perhaps she would have apologised.

"Yeah, well..." Dean said with a slight embarrassed smile, wiping his tears away. "I don't mean to be rash, agents, but do you mind telling me why you're here?"

"Of course." Said Hotch. "There has been progression. We've found Valencia, but-"

"Found?" Questioned a confused Dean.

Hotch and Maggie looked at each other. "Nobody told you?" Asked Hotch.

"Told me what?" Deans voice was more stern than confused now as he sat on the edge of her chair.

Hotch thought this truly bizarre. Surely it should have been the first call they made from Saint Mary's. In fact, wouldn't the local police have called Mr Porter straight after Valencia went missing? Hotch hadn't recieved any information about that. He made a mental note to check on it later.

"Valencia... Valencia went missing a little under two weeks ago." Said Hotch

The man gasped. "So that's why you're here? I mean, she's not... She's not..."

"She's alive." Interjected Maggie. "But she's in some trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Mr Porter, time is of the essense. This is a conversation better had somewhere else. Are you able to come with us?"

"Of course, Just let me grab my car keys." Said Dean, getting up

Hotch gave him directions to the Rosebyne police station. It was better there than at the coffee shop- All hell would break loose if Valencia found out he was close.


	12. Fear Of Sleep

**A/N-** Hey guys, so I've got to go back to school on monday and I've got my sociology IP for three weeks so I'll update when I can but it wont be as often :(

* * *

After hearing what Daisy had to say both Frank and Hotch were on edge. They were standing outside of Daisy's room trying to figure out their next move.

"I'm gonna kill him. She's just a kid.. He's supposed to be helping her..." Said a furious Frank.

"Easy." Said Morgan, flipping out is phone. "We don't know it's true."

"Why would she lie about that?" Said Frank, knowing it sounded naive. "Yeah yeah, we're in a mental hospital. I'm aware Einstein."

Morgan noted the conversation Frank was having with himself and in any other circumstance would have found it amusing. He started pressing numbers on his phone. He put it to his ear.

"Who are you calling?"

Morgan started to speak but the phone stopped ringing. "Speak to me Morgan. How is he doing?" Asked Garcia. Their usual banter was put aside at this time, both of them understanding the severity of the situation. "Good as can be. Listen, I need you to look into something for me."

"Anything."

"I need you to do a criminal history check on a doctor Benjamin Mack."

A few buttons later and Garcia said "Nothing. Not even a speeding ticket"

"Damnit..." Morgan muttered eliciting a look from Frank. Suddenly he got an idea.

"How about complaints? Anywhere he's worked after getting his medicial license, from colleagues, patients or families. Can you do that?"

"Do you know me?" Asked Garcia, putting the first smile on Morgans face all day. She started pounding away as the keyboard. "Problem is they didn't start lodging these complaints on computer until recently so it'll only go back as far as... Woah." She paused.

"What is it?" Asked Morgan, closing his eyes.

"I have no idea how this man got a job anywhere. Five complants. One at the Santa Rosa Youth Ward in 1998, one at Sacred Heart Psychiatric ward 2002, two at Mary Makilliop Metal Health Hospice in 2003 and 04, and one at Saint Mary's three years ago. One father complained and the rest were from patients themselves. All females between the ages of 15 and 20."

"What were the complaints about?"

"Innapropriate touching, sexual assault, asking them to undress... except for the last one."

"The one at Saint Mary's?"

She didn't say anything but Morgan knew he was correct.

"She said the bastard raped her."

"Where is she now?" Asked Morgan.

Typing again. Morgan heard the click of the keys stop.

"What is it Garcia?"

Her voice was quiet and meek. "Her name was Regina Stein. She killed herself a month after lodging the complaint."

Morgan closed his eyes again, clenching his fist. A display that did not go unoticed by Frank.

"Ok. Thanks Garcia."

"Morgan?"

"Yeah baby girl?"

"Get this son of a bitch. And nail his ass to the wall."

With that she hung up. Morgan filled Frank in.

"So what's our next move?"

"We go and pay the Doctor another visit."

* * *

Reid noticed Valencia pacing, that was never a good sign. She walked behind the counter of the shop, careful to keep an eye on Reid. She chuckled, pulling out a bag of chips from under the counter. As she put one in her mouth, she let out a sound, like it was the best thing she had ever eaten.

Dr Reid watched her as she walked back over to the spot she had previously been sitting in.

"You know, I know these are terrible. I know they _should _taste terrible. But my god, they're good." She said, stuffing her face.

Reid said nothing but smiled.

"Want one?"

"Oh, no. Thankyou."

"Suit yourself."

Spencer looked at her with amazement. This was the most relaxed he had seen her all day and it was all thanks to a packet of cheap chips.

"Maybe I should change my demands. Make them give me a truck full of these instead."

"They don't have them where you're from?"

She chuckled at the trasperincy of his last statement.

"Nice segue, Dr Reid. You can just ask me you know. I wont get mad. Ask me anything."

Spencer thought about this for a few moments.

"You said before you escaped. Where exactly did you escape from?"

"Saint Mary's Home for Mental Health." She rattled off like she had done so many times before.

Spencer figured that much.

"And how long were you there for?"

She looked at him and then looked away.

"Eight Years."

His eyes widened. "It's rare for someone so young to be institutionalized." He said outloud. She decided to elaborate.

"When I claimed my father did that stuff to me, to the girls... They questioned me a lot. I had delusions, but I thought... I thought they were ghosts. It's stupid. I was just a kid though, I didn't understand." Spencer gave a sad yet supportive look, willing her to go on.

"So they interviewed me, they interviewed my father. They interviewed his friend and everything seemed to come together. I was crazy, no wonder right? I was being molested by my fathers business partner."

For a moment both of them were shocked by how blunt her words were, even if she was being sarcastic. Spencer had never heard her say anything like that, and Valencia couldn't remember a time when she had said the 'M' word instead of saying 'what happened' or 'what he did'. Suddenly she felt the need to move along the conversation.

"The psychiatrists determined my 'condition' was only being aggrivated by my fathers presence and that I would never get better with him around. I didn't have any other family. My mother and father had been only children... And my mother was dead. So they stuck me in an institution. Nobody was going to foster a girl with my past and my problems."

She smiled but it wasn't a happy smile.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that."

At that point Valencia looked him in the eyes. Not like she had before. She usually avoided eye contact. Even so, she considered herself to be a good judge of people. And she was, most of the time. So now, when she looked at Reid in the eyes, really looked at him, she knew he was telling the truth.

"Why?"

"Sorry?" He asked.

"Why are you sorry? Why do you care?"

Reid was concerned this was part of some delusion. She had pegged him as the bad guy, he was going to die.

"Valencia, I..." He started. She suprised him.

"You shouldn't care Dr Reid. What I'm doing to you is unforgivable. Two wrongs don't make a right. You... You grew up with an unstable mother and you became a doctor. An FBI agent! Plenty of people go through bad stuff. They don't... They don't..."

She had her hands up to her head now, gun and all. She looked so distressed, just like she had during the phone call.

"Valencia... If you don't want to be here, you don't have to be. I'll walk out with you. We can face them together."

A tear rolled down her cheek now.

"I know." She sad softly. "I just want to sleep again. I need to do this, Dr Reid. I don't want to- But I have too. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I need to sleep"


	13. Monster Hospital

**A/N-** Hey Hey people. Back at school *grumble grumble* I should really be doing homework right now.

Reviews? xx

* * *

Bam. The door swung open. Dr Mack was talking to a young blonde girl. It all looked innocent enough but it made Frank want to throttle him.

"Excuse me..." Said a baffled Dr Mack. "I'm with a patient right now! You can't just storm in whenever you like!"

The blonde sat there quiet and confused, blinking a lot.

"Does it make you feel violated, Doctor? Feel like an invasion of privacy?" Badgered Morgan.

Dr Mack's face fell into darkness. He looked at the girl sitting across from him.

"I think you better come back later Rosalie." He said, trying to mask him discomfort.

"I think that's a good Idea." Said Morgan.

The girl looked up at Morgan sheepishly, blinking a few times. "K..k...Kay." she spat out.

Dr Mack faked a smile as she walked out the room.

Morgan took the chair the girl was sitting on, spun it around and sat down. Frank stayed standing in the corner. The Doctor spoke.

"Look, whatever Daisy told you...I can assure you, she is a sick, sick girl."

"What made you think Daisy told us anything?" Asked Morgan innocuously.

"I..."

Morgan raised his hand in the air.

"Save it, Doctor. You wanna know what I think? I think my partner is in trouble right now because of something you did. I think you abused Valencia just like you abused all the others."

"I never... I would never... Daisy is a liar! Are you really going to take the word of a mentally ill _slut_ to a reputable Doctor? Do you even know who I am?"

"Yeah, I do know, Benjamin. I know because I see creeps like you everyday. Daisy didn't tell us anything. Regina Stein did."

Dr Mack stopped talking immediately.

"Or rather, her record did. And so did the records of four other girls. How long have you been a Doctor, Benjamin?"

"T...Twenty years."

Morgan turned to Frank.

"What do you think, Officer. You've got five complaints in the past ten years. Then add up all the complaints lodged that weren't on computers. Now, think about all of the girls that didn't report him. How long do you think that list is gonna be after we've done picking through him life with a fine tooth comb?"

"Pretty long, agent."

"And what do you think would happen if I arrested him right now?"

"Oh, we'd have to talk to all the girls in his charge. All the staff. We'd have to let the media know, of course. His family too. His career would be over even if you didn't charge him. Of course, that wouldn't be an issue. He'd be lookin' at some serious time there."

Dr Mack was sweating.

"And if Valencia kills an FBI agent?"

"Nobody is gonna blame the poor, sexually abused sick girl. Oh no siree. Courts don't look too kindly on people who cause the death of government agents, that's for sure. All I can say he'd better hope he isn't shy because he ain't gonna be able to use the toilet without ten people watching."

The Doctor was dead silent now.

"Hear's the deal, Doctor. You confess to us now and we might cut you a break. It's gotta be now or your life as you know it will disappear sooner than I can tell Frank here to get out his cuffs. Believe me, he'd look forward too it."

Ben looked at Frank who gave a nod but he still didn't say anything.

"Listen, You ever been to prison, Doctor? Because I'm pretty sure the inmates aren't gonna look too kindly on a man who took advantage of sick young girls."

Frank interjected. "They've even been known to return the favor."

"Oh, they've been known to do more than that." Morgan said to Frank, ignoring the man. "I arrested this guy a few years ago for raping his step daughter. Next time I saw him he lost an eye. You see his cell mate got his hands on a broken piece of glass and..."

"Alright! Alright, fine. I did it, okay? It's not like they didn't want me too. For almost two years I listened to Valencia talk about being touched. You don't think she wanted to be touched again? Regina... Regina had a kid at age 14! You don't think she wanted me? they all wanted me! All of them! Dozens..." He smiled fondly, pleased with himself. "These girls... They are sexual beings in the prime of their youth, locked up like animals yearning to be free. I didn't touch anyone who didn't want to be touched. I can't help it if these _whores _throw themselves at me! I'm a man! You can't tell me you wouldn't do the same in my position."

Frank clenched his fists and Morgan looked at him with disgust.

"Get your cuffs out, Officer."

"With pleasure."

"What...but you said..." The man stuttered.

"You didn't seriously think I would let a sick bastard like you anywhere near another girl again, did you?"

The Doctor stood up now defensively as Frank came up behind him. Frank, in no mood to be gentle, pushed the man violently onto the desk and yanked his arms behind his back, putting the cuffs on a little too tight. Morgan began reading him his rights.

"Benjamin Mack, You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law... "

"But... I'm a Doctor..." The man whimpered in disbelief.

"Yeah?" Said Frank. "And now you're a felon. Congratulations."

"You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you..."

"I didn't do anything wrong! They loved it!"

Frank got himself real close and whispered in Dr Macks ear; "I'm gonna make you suffer, you hear me? I'm gonna make sure you suffer like they suffered."

"...Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?"

"What?" Asked the Doctor.

"Do you understand?" Yelled Morgan.

"Yes! Yes, I understand..."

"Take him away, Frank. Call a car to come pick him up. I gotta make another phone call."

Frank grabbed the man's arm and pulled him towards the door.


	14. Star Mile

**A/N: Hi guys. Sorry this has been such a long time coming. I've been incredibly busy. If you aren't new to the story I guess you've probably forgotten a lot of it. Let me give you a little recap.**

**Valencia is still with Reid in the bookstore. Nothing has changed much on that front. Turns out Valencia's doctor was a sick puppy and took advantage of her, but Frank and Morgan arrested him and all is well. Daisy let them on to that, and told the boys to give her friend Valencia a message: Mexico. Maggie and Hotch just met up with Dean Porter (Valencia's father) and are meeting him at the Rosebyne police station. Everyone else is at the coffee shop across the street, by that I mean JJ, Emily and Alex Newman who is tucked away somewhere in a back room. And that's what you missed on Glee. Wait, what?**

**Sorry for this chapter, it's pretty short and kind of really boring, but it's just a sort of connect I had to make with the next chapter (which is a lot better I hope). I will be uploading that one within the hour. Enjoy! **

* * *

"Damnit. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Thanks Morgan."

Morgan had just called Hotch to fill him in on the little Doctor incident. In turn Hotch filled in Maggie, who was just as angry.

"That son of a bitch... I could just..."

"We have to stay focused Maggie." He put a hand on her leg in a comforting manner before realizing how inappropriate it was. He pulled it away quickly and put his hand back on the wheel. To his relief Maggie did not say anything about it.

They were on their way to the Rosebyne police station, Dean Porter was too, but left a little after they did in his own car.

Eager to change the conversation, Maggie bought up their latest encounter with Dean Porter.

"It's strange that he didn't know anything about her disappearance. I guess now we know why."

Hotch nodded in agreement, thinking back to his conversation with Morgan. It was really no suprise that a place like that hadn't informed family.

Desperate to fill the empty silence, Maggie tried again.

"Also strange that everything was exactly the same, pictures, furniture..."

"I noticed that too. Did you see the look he gave you when you bought up Meredith?"

She hadn't. He spoke again.

"I'm not saying he is guilty of anything. Right now I'm desperate and I'm willing to follow any lead possible."

She nodded, seeing were he was going. She looked in the rear view mirror and saw Dean Porter was some way behind them, caught between a pick up truck and a yellow SUV. She spotted a taxi.

"Let me out here. I'll call someone for directions to Meredith Brinks house. If she doesn't live in the area I'll interview some of Dean Porter's clients or something."

"I don't know if that's a good idea..." Said Hotch, unsure.

"You can't be in 51 places at once Hotch. If we go in different directions it'll be easier to sort this problem out. Now pull up quickly," she said, motioning to the Taxi. "Before it leaves."

Hotch pulled up.

"Thanks, Odette. I appreciate this. Really." He said in a serious tone. She looked at him like she was going to say something but didn't. She got out of the car and made her way to the Taxi.

* * *

Back at the Coffee shop Emily looked caught up in thought. JJ, as the only team member there, decided she should go and see what the problem was.

"Emily? Do you have something?"

Emily stayed silent for a moment before looking up at JJ.

"It's something she said on the phone. Do we have the transcripts?"

JJ nodded and grabbed them from a near table. Emily's eyes flicked over them.

"Here." Emily said. She read the part out that she was looking at.

_"What about Catherine Hutchinson? You know she sung herself to sleep every night? Catch a falling star... "_

"So?" JJ asked curiously. "She could have gotten it anywhere. She could have just pulled it out of thin air."

"That's what I thought, but look at this."

Emily handed JJ a different transcript, an interview of Martha Hutchinson. Catherine's mother. She pointed to a page somewhere in the middle of the interview.

* * *

_Agent Odette: I know this is extremely difficult for you, Mrs Hutchinson..._

_M. Hutchinson: Extemely difficult._

_*M. Hutchinson laughs*_

_M. Hutchinson: I'm sorry. It's not funny. It's really not. I'm just... I'm just sick of people telling me they know how I feel._

_Agent Odette: Of course. I understand._

_M. Hutchinson: You know the media have started to call her Cathy? Like they knew her. It's sick. They didn't know anything about her._

_Agent Odette: That must be frustating._

_M. Hutchinson: I'm the one going through this. People act like it's something that's been inflicted on the nation, but in a month, they'll forget. I'm the one who has to live with it. I'm the one that tucked her in each night. The one who listened to her sing 'catch a falling star'._

_Agent Odette: Catch a falling star?_

_M. Hutchinson: It was her favourite song. I haven't told anyone that, you know. It's my secret. She was mine. I need something to hold on to. Something that everyone doesn't already know about my Catherine._

_

* * *

_

JJ looked up. "This could mean anything Em. Maybe it did slip out after this interview. Maybe the agent mentioned it to someone and Valencia overheard."

Emily nodded. "Of course. I'm just looking at everything."

Neither of them could bare the thought that Hotch could have made such a huge mistake. JJ was right though. It was interesting, but it didn't mean anything.


	15. Poster Of A Girl

**A/N- I hope you know I expect reviews. I even accept gifts. Cash is fine.**

* * *

Valencia could feel the sweat pouring off of her. She wiped it away with her forearm. Reid sat, looking around the room, wondering how the day would unfold.

"Can I ask you a question?" Valencia queried.

"Go ahead." Reid replied.

"Does this behavioural analysis stuff really work?"

"Yes." Reid said simply.

"You sound so sure."

"That's because I am."

Valencia didn't believe in any of it. Had it worked her father would be locked far away, she would be free and so would Alex Newman.

"Try me then."

"Sorry?" Reid asked.

"What can you tell me about me?"

Reid hesitated. "I don't know if that's such a good idea..."

"No, probably not. Still, I'm the one with a gun." She brandished the gun in the air before bringing it back down to her side. Funnily enough, he had almost forgotten. Almost. He knew there was no point lying to her this time. He had tried that already and it hadn't done any good. He began.

"You're smart, but you try to hide it. It makes you stand out but you prefer not too. Just like how you downplay your illness. You act like it doesn't bother you, but it does. A lot. You keep looking over to the right corner. You see someone or something there, but you're pretending not too. You know it's not real... which says a lot about your illness. With medication you'd be a perfectly fuctioning member of society, but it slows you down... makes you feel foggy. On top of that, you wont stop fighting until you see your father put away. Justice is more important to you than revenge otherwise you would have killed him instead of coming up with this, rather elaborate plan." Reid rattled off quickly. Valencia was almost stunned into silence.

"And what happens after this?" She asked quietly, not knowing if she should have.

"You're smart enough to know that you're not just going to be able to walk out of here. You're also smart enough to realize that at your age, and with your medical history, they're not going to send you to prison."

"You talk like you know we're gonna make it out of here."

Reid hesitated once again.

"You're not a danger to me. You wouldn't hurt someone you felt was innocent. You're more... You're more a danger to yourself than anything."

Valencia laughed. She put a gun to her head dramatically.

"You think I'd pull the trigger agent?"

He thought about it momentarily before answering.

"No. Not yet. That would mean letting them win."

He was right. She hated that.

* * *

Meredith Brink's place hadn't been hard to find. For some reason Maggie thought it would. Everything seemed like a challenge these days. In fact it was only 20 minutes out of her way. She lived in an apartment block, not the kind that Maggie often found herself raiding during a drug bust, but certainly not the kind she thought Meredith, who Maggie often thought of as a 50's suburban housewife, would be living in. After paying the cab driver, she made her way in, up the stairs and past the other apartments. Things were quiet other than a loud yapping dog somewhere in the building.

_Knock knock._

Meredith had been watching television when she heard the knock. _The Price Is Right. _She loved that show. She moved her tabby cat Layla off her knees before checking on the door. It had been a while since she'd had company.

She opened the door and confusion masked her face.

"Hello?"

Maggie couldn't help but notice how age had ravaged the woman. Sure, she was never going to be on the cover of a magazine, but she had always been slightly attractive in a homely kind of way. She was skinnier now and wrinkles marked her features. Her eyes were sullen.

"Hi, Meridith. I'm not sure if you remember me..."

"Oh my lord. Agent Odette? It's been a while."

Before Maggie could say anything the woman had invited her in, a little to eagerly. Maggie had assumed she'd get a door slammed in her face before she had to make an impassioned speech about how someone's life was on the line. Maggie hadn't exactly made her life easy the last time.

"Hi Meredith, I just wanted to talk to you about-"

"Tea? Scones? I would offer you coffee but I don't keep any in the house. Far to addictive. I find that-"

"No, thank you. What I wanted to-"

"Are you sure? I'm sure I can rustle up something else? I think i've got some fruit cake left over in the fridge. Or I could make something. Pancakes! Everyone loves pancakes. I'll just-"

"Meredith." Maggie said in a stern voice, whipping Meredith out of her thoughts. "I must stress, this is a matter of urgency."

Maggie sat down at the table and Maggie took a seat too.

"Oh no. This isn't about Valencia, is it? Did something happen?"

"Why would you say that?" Maggie asked suspiciously.

"Well why else would you be here? Unless it's about Dean. Is it about Dean?"

"No, well, yes... It's about a lot of things actually." Maggie began. Meredith nodded.

"May I ask when you and Dean split up?"

Meredith thought. "About a month after that sick man Alex was arrested."

"Really?" Maggie asked curiously.

"Oh yes. I don't think Dean was much interested in me."

"You two always seemed so close."

"Dean was a good man. He always bought me gifts, took me out to dinner. He got me flowers just because. A real old fashioned gentleman, the kind my parents would have approved of."

"So what went wrong then?"

"I think a lot of that was... him needing someone to lean on. It was a rough time on everyone. All that was going on. At first I thought that was why..." She paused.

"That was why what?"

"He never wanted to... you know..."

Maggie stared in confusion.

"You know... Do _'that'_." Meredith said, emphasising the last word.

"Oh." Maggie said. "You said at first... did something happen to make you change your mind?"

The woman fingered the silver cross around her neck.

"I think he was..." She bought her voice down to a barely audible whisper. "_Homosexual_!"

"Why is that?" She asked, perplexed.

"Dean and Alex were always so close. Oh, I know they were business partners and best friends. But it seemed like he had more time for him than me. When they found the photos on his computer, Dean went crazy. Almost killed him. But that was only after..."

"After what?"

"After Alex got caught." Meredith stated simply. Maggie looked confused.

"I don't understand. How would Dean have known about it before hand?"

Meredith looked around as if she was debating whether or not to tell. She settled upon a question.

"Do you remember how you came to check Alex Newman's computer?"

"Well, I suppose it's routine in these kind of investigation to look into everyone involved with the-" Maggie stopped suddenly, coming to a realisation. "No. No, that wasn't it. It was an anonymous tip. An email from an anonymous account."

Meredith looked down. Warily, Maggie approached her next question.

"Who sent in the tip, Meredith?"

"Me." she said meekly. "Dean told me too."

Maggie was angry now. This could have changed things. "Meredith, I don't think you understand how much-"

"I'm sorry! Oh heavens, am I sorry. I would have done everything for the man, even if he was _gay_. I just figured that he was conflicted... that he wanted to protect his daughter, but also his.. _lover_." She said the last part in disgust.

Maggie stood up, trying not to shout.

"And what if you've got it all wrong? What if Dean Porter really is the man Valencia made him out to be?"

Meredith looked calm now.

"I never would of put my feelings or anyone elses before the safety of someone's little girl. Dean may have been a lot of things, but he never would have hurt a child. Never."

Maggie looked at her sharply. "Yeah? I hope you're right."

Maggie got her things and stormed out the door, leaving a bewildered Meredith standing alone by the table.

"Our father who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name..."


	16. Shame

**A/N- **Hey guys, so is anyone actually reading this? Cause I keep getting new story alerts but no reviews. There isn't much longer to go now :)

So what do you think of Dean? Guilty? Not guilty?

* * *

Hotch stood at the Rosebyne police station, collecting his thought, planning the interview. There had only been a few people around and most of them were secretaries and other non law enforcement workers. Hotch had met a overly curious deputy named Sam who asked him a lot of questions about the FBI and how the hostage situation was going. Most of Frank's men were at the coffee shop, the place where this young man desperately wanted to be. Dean Porter sat in an interrogation room and a secretary bought him coffee. Hotch new he had to treat carefully- Dean was here out of his own free will and could leave at any second. Sam kept glancing over at the room.

"Is he the bad guy?" Sam asked, a little too excited. "Are you gonna grill him? Like on TV?"

Before Hotch had a chance to say anything Maggie came bursting through the doors.

"My damn cell phone won't work!" She shouted.

"Ma'am?" Asked Sam. "Can I help you?"

"It's alright, she's with me. Why don't you give us a minute." Said Hotch.

Maggie stood there, looking palpable. Hotch took a few steps closer.

"What happened? Did you talk to her?"

"Meredith?" She scoffed. "Yeah. We had a good chat. Remember that email we got that tipped us off to the photos on Newman's computer?"

Hotch nodded.

"Meredith sent them. Apparently at Dean's request."

Hotch stared at her for a moment, as confused as she had been.

"How come we didn't know this at the time?" He asked.

"It was from an anonymous account and sent from a public library. There were no leads. Meredith didn't tell anyone. She said something to do with Valencia's safety but I think she was just ashamed."

"Of what?" Hotch questioned.

"Meredith seems to think Dean and Alex had a little something on the side."

Hotch thought about it.

"What do you think?" He asked.

"Honestly? I have no idea. But this changes a hell of a lot."

Hotch took a breath.

"Then we better get to it."

* * *

"Please state your name for the recorder" said Maggie as she had done so many times before.

"Dean Porter."

"And are you here of your own free will?"

"I am."

Maggie relaxed now, risking a glance at Hotch before she warmly adressed Dean Porter.

"Dean. I'm sorry to get you involved in all this again."

Deans face looked sad but he managed a small polite small.

"It's fine, she's my daughter. I'd do anything for her."

"You said you haven't seen Valencia in three years, correct?"

"Correct." he stated simply.

"Has there ever been any phone calls, letters?"

"No." he said meekly. "She doesn't want to talk to me."

"I'm sorry." Maggie said in a sincere voice. Dean nodded.

"Do you have any idea why she might be doing this?"

Dean looked down once again.

"She blames me for what happened. She thinks... She thinks I did things to those little girls that went missing all that time ago. She also blames me for what... He did to her."

"He?" Maggie asked, feigning ignorance.

"Alex." he said coldly.

"Ah, yes... Mr Newman. How did you feel when you found out about those photos on his computer?"

He looked up. "Angry. Pissed off. You two were there, you know what happen."

Ah. It had been an unfortunate incident really. While Dean was being informed about the photos that had been found, an incompetent agent was escorting Alex Newman from an interrogation room. It seemed like a flash, one minute Dean Porter and been standing there with a tear streaked face, and the next he was on top of Alex and blood was flying everywhere. He almost killed him. It took three agents to pry him off.

Maggie nodded, shuffling some papers for dramatic effect, while the next question rolled off her tounge.

"But isn't it true that you knew about the photos before that?"

Pause.

"What? I don't know..." Maggie said nothing, wanting him to talk. "Look, whatever Meredith said to you-"

"Who said anything about Meredith?" Maggie questioned.

Dean's face changed, realizing what he did.

"I...I can explain..."

"Meredith seemed to have a theory on that one. Seems to think you Alex were a little more than business partners."

Dean kept his head down.

"She seems to think you two were in a secret relationship. Now why would she think a thing like that?" She asked.

Before Hotch of Maggie could say anything, something happened they didn't expect: Dean burst into tears. Maggie looked at Hotch, unsure what to do. Much to their relief he collected himself pretty quickly, wiping away the tears with his jacket sleeve.

"I'm sorry." He said, composing himself. "I'm sorry. She... She's right. I loved him. I know, it's sick. Oh god."

Maggie or Hotch didn't say anything, waiting for him to go on.

"Lord have mercy on my soul." He said quietly to the celing. "I've spent my whole life trying to deny those urges. But Alex, he was... I just... And then I found out... My little girl!" Dean babbled on while tears ran down his face.

"How did you find out about the photos?" Maggie inquired.

Dean looked down, ashamed.

"We'd taken some photos of ourselves together on the beach. I went through his camera, and I found-" He stopped. "I heard him coming back from the kitchen so I put it back and pretended I hadn't seen them."

He looked up at the agent's faces, wondering what they must be thinking of him.

"I know it's awful. I should have done something. But I... I'd never felt that way before about anyone. And then...I should have punched him, or yelled, or cried... or.. or... something! I was shocked and I didn't know what to do!"

Maggie didn't know whether to feel sorry him or disgusted he didn't do anything. She looked over at hotch who remained stoic, saying nothing.

"So what happened next?" Maggie asked gently, sincere this time.

"I asked Meredith to turn him in. I couldn't. I didn't want anything to do with it but I had to protect my daughter. Valencia is my first priority."

"And at the station, when you beat him?"

"I honestly don't remember. I just saw him standing there, and I was so angry... I just snapped, and the next thing I know I was looking at you and there was blood everywhere."

Dean Porter started to silently cry. Maggie looked at Hotch. They were thinking the same this. This man wasn't a pedophile. He wasn't a killer. He was just a pathetic sad man who had spent eight years hating himself. This was a waste of time.

"Thank you Dean." Maggie smiled warmly and reassuringly. "I think that's all for now." He nodded while Maggie and Hotch stood up, heading for the door. That is, until they heard Dean Porter speak.

"Agent Hotchner?"

The two agents turned around, Hotch leaning against the doorframe with his left arm, wating for Dean Porter to speak.

"I'll understand."

"Understand what Mr. Porter?" Hotch asked.

"I know the agency will always look after their own. Valencia is a sick girl, who knows what she'll do."

"Mr. Porter I'm not sure..." Said Hotch, raising an eyebrow.

"If you have to shoot her, agent, I'll understand."


	17. Breakable

**A/N**- Hey guys :) 40 reviews! Wow :D And all I had to do was beg ;)

There are a couple of you who who leave the best reviews and I look forward to them everytime. 3!

I hope this is not too hard to follow. It will probably leave you confused but that was my intention ;)

Enjoy xx

_

* * *

_

_"Mr. Porter I'm not sure..." Said Hotch, raising an eyebrow._

_"If you have to kill her to save your agent, I'll understand."_

Hotch gave Dean a short nod and walked out of the room. Maggie stood looking at Dean for a split second before she smiled politely and closed the door. Hotch walked sharply away from the room and Maggie followed. Hotch had the same look on his face he always did, but Maggie looked as if she was about to burst.

"He'll_ understand _if we'll have to _kill_ her? That sick bastard had me right up to the end, I just wanna..." Maggie spoke with fire.

"Hold on." Said Hotch, holding up his hands. "This doesn't mean he's guilty."

She scoffed. "And what would your explanation be?"

"Not caring about your child's welfare might make you a bad parent, but it doesn't make you a murderer."

"Hotch, he basically invited us to kill his daughter! I don't see how-"

"Maggie. Today's been a long day. You've been-"

"I swear to God, if you say emotional..."

"I was going to say working hard."

Silence.

"Hotch, I didn't mean..." She started

"It's fine. Right now I think we ought to get Porter back to base."

"Have a little talk to Newman?"

"See what they do when they realize they're both in the same building." He finished her thoughts.

* * *

The ride from Rosebyne HQ to The Coffee House was a long one for a short drive. They had suggested that they all take the same car and that Maggie would drive Dean back to his car by the days end. The journey was one filled with small talk, but most Dean Porter stared out the window.

When the had arived they had passed a media circus. Hotch parked as close to the cafe as he could as to avoid the prying eyes of the press.

"I'm just going to go in and make sure everything in order. Last thing we need is some journalist disrupting the situation." Maggie said for Dean's benefit.

Dean just stared obliviously out the window while Hotch gave a small nod. "I'll come out and let you know when it's good to come in."

Maggie got out of the car and took a breath before glancing across the street to the bookstore, wondering what was going on inside. When she entered the cafe she had to give them credit at how they'd taken a small coffee shop and managed to turn it into a replica of any busy, working police station. People moved everywhere and papers littered all flat surfaces.

Maggie spotted the person she was looking for straight away, who also spotted her in return.

"You must be Agent Prentiss." Said Maggie.

Emily smiled slightly and said, "Agent Odette"

"It's detective now."

Morgan rounded the corner and so did JJ. Frank stood in the shadows rifling through something.

"This is agent Morgan, Agent Jareau, and that over there is Officer Limbone with the local PD."

JJ and Morgan smiled politely while Frank put a hand up in the air, waving to her but obviously busy with something else.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all; I just wish it was under better circumstances."

"Don't we know it." Said Morgan with a concerned look on his face.

"Have you all had a chance to run through what we talked about on the phone?" Asked Maggie, adressing Emily.

"Sure. You and Hotch bring him in, we bring out Newman. Pretty clear cut."

"How about you officer?" Maggie said in a slightly louder voice. Frank quickly finished what he was doing and turned around.

"Honey, I've been doing this for a long time." Frank said in a slightly [atronising tone. Morgan almost smiled. He was beginning to really like Frank Limbone.

"Right. I gotta stress though- The last time this happened Newman was ten seconds away from meeting his maker. Be ready to restrain the both of them."

"Duly noted." Said Frank while the other three nodded.

Maggie made her way to the car, tapping on the window and motioning for them to follow.

When they walked in they were met with busy people and warm but distracted smiles. Dean wondered how his little girl could cause all of this.

All of a sudden Frank walked out of a back room with Alex Newman in tow. Time stopped for the two men as they locked eyes.

"Dean." Said Alex, who had been stunned into near silence.

"God damn it, I said to keep him out of here! What are you doing!" Maggie yelled convincingly.

"...I... I thought you said to bring him out here..." Frank mumbled.

"Are you really that incompetent? I said keep him _out _of here!"

Maggie mumbled something about local stupidity when she turned to Dean and said; "Come on. Let's go outside for a minute."

To Maggie's relief, Dean porter rejected her offer and stood their standing still, staring at Alex.

"You said you loved me."

A whisper.

"You said you loved me!"

A shout.

Everyone around stopped what they were doing and looked up, some flat out staring and others pretending not too. Alex only had a look of pure shock on his face.

"Dean, what are-"

"Do you remember that time at your fathers get away house? You looked me right in the eyes and said I knew you better than anyone! You said you'd do anything for me! And then I found out... She was just a little girl Alex! My little girl!" Dean yelled with fury

"Dean, I-"

"No! Don't you dare talk to me! How could you do that? How could you-"

And then a sound, distant but loud, stopped everyone in their tracks.

**BOOM. **

**

* * *

**

_"Pathetic. That's what you are. You're nothing. You think people are going to care about you after this? Not a chance. You might as well kill yourself."_

"Shut up..." Valencia mumbled while attempting not to look at the vision of the girl. Reid pretended not to notice.

_"That's right. Shut up. Haha. Why are you so god damned sad? I died! You got to live. So your daddy touched you up, big deal! Maybe if you weren't so disgusting this wouldn't have happened."_

"Alright." Said Valencia, standing up quickly. "I think it's time we get some noise in here."

Reid was unsure of what she was talking about until she made her way over to a small tv behind the counter. She swivelled it around so that both she and Reid could see it, grabbed the remote and walked back over to her spot.

"Okay..." She said, working the remote. The channel flicked to an older blonde woman who looked like she was trying hard to be young. _Hang on a minute..._

"Woah." Valencia said simply. It made Reid pay attention.

Sure enough, there was the street. Betty's books on one side, The Coffee House on the other. The blonde began to speak.

"And this of course is after the recent arrest of the girl's psychiatrist. Dr Mack has had various complaints against him in the past 10 years for inappropriate conduct with young female patients. The most recent was that of Regina Stein," A picture appeared on screen of a beautiful young brunette. "Who commited suicide after alleging that Dr Mack raped her."

Valencia's heart sank. She was a smart girl, she knew guys like him and she knew what happened to her probably wasn't a one off- she just never realized it went this far.

"Sources say that the Doctor has admitted to inappropriate and unwanted sexual behaviour with the suspect, whose name can't be mentioned as she is a minor. It is yet unknown why these complaints have been ignored."

Valencia wanted to turn it off, she wanted to scream, but all she could do was stare.

_"Unwanted? We both know you wanted it. You crave attention. You deserved it."_

Valencia risked a glance at Reid, whose gaze had been on her. He looked away immediately, acting as if he hadn't heard the reporter as he sensed she was embarassed. Valencia put her hand up to her head defensively and rubbed her forehead.

"10 minutes ago you saw an FBI issue car pass us by, and now we have footage of them entering the coffee shop which they're using as a make shift station." Blury footage obviously shot from far away appeared on the screen. "The man in the black suit is Special Agent Aaron Hotchner, who worked the case eight years ago. The woman is Detective Odette who also worked the case eight years ago as an agent with the FBI. We'll have more about that later. As you can see, they're accompanied by an unidentified man into the store. The FBI has yet to comment whether this is a person of interest, witness or something else entirely. More with you shortly, I'm Sally Suzack." The blonde woman smiled professionally as they were thrown to an add break.

_"Unidentified to some."_

_"_Oh my god..." Valencia started, grabbing Reid's attention.

"What is it?"

The TV glared. "Have you ever thought about your car insurance? Neither had I, until I got into an accident..."

"It's.. Oh god. I just..."

_"Suck it up princess! Stop acting like you're something special."_

"Who was it, Valencia?"

"If you wanna new car but you don't know where to buy it, come to Donnies Automotives and we will let you try it..."

_"Valley... Valley... Why don't you tell him Valley?"_

"My Father."

_"Tell him what he did to us."_

"...A brand new box of wicked wings! Only $2.99!"

_"Liar."_

"Well they're probably just investigating the case. This is a good thing."

"I... I..."

_"Cheater."_

"Does your color make you look flat and dull?"

_"Whore."_

"I can't.. I can't... Why is everything so loud!"

_"Pathetic."_

"Now that's what I call taste! Pass us another, Cindy! It's like... a flavor explosion!"

"Everything is... it's... what's going on? I can't..."

"Feeling empty? Alone? Fragile? Like you just can't go on? 1800-STOPSUICIDE. There _is_ help."

_"VALENCIA!" _

"Valencia? Are you okay?"

Before Reid could say anymore a bloodcurdling scream escaped Valencia's red lips, a sound that pierced his ears. Books from the shelf behind her started flying, but she was thrashing around so much that he could barely see her thowing them. It was a hurricane, a blur of black and red. She spun around and dropped to her knees, crying and shaking.

"WHY WONT IT STOP?"

She raised the gun to her head and started smashing away at her skull. "No no no no no! Shut up! Stupid! Stop!". The lashings got increasingly harsher and violent.

_"Just get it over with! Put a bullet in your brain! You're good for nothing and nobody loves you. Kill yourself you stupid girl!"_

Again, she screamed, but this time is was low and primal. "Not if I kill you first you bitch!" She screamed, leaving Reid sitting in the corner attempting to make himself as small as possible. He knew doing anything else would only get him killed.

Valencia raised her hands, both on the gun this time. Shakily she stood up, looking around, jerking back and forth suddenly. Everything became shaky, she couldn't see. The world was spinning.

_"What are you waiting for then! Show us how brave you are!"_

_"Yeah, show us."_

_"Show us!"_

**BOOM.**


	18. A Story To Tell

**A/N- **Hey guys :) Sorry about the last chapter being posted in all italics, I don't know how that happened.

Guess what? The other night I had the weirdest dream that this FF was a crossover with Supernatural and everyone kept reviewing saying how much it sucked! You know you spend to much time on FF when you start dreaming about it ;\

Sorry if this is a bit slow, but I promise you will learn a hell of what really happened next chapter. Scouts honour.

* * *

**

* * *

**

**Boom. **The sound was so loud that it shook her back to reality. It was defeaning.

* * *

"Get them out of here!" Hotch yelled as people moved around. Alex and Dean were rushed out of the room.

* * *

The gun dropped to the ground. She looked around to see what happened.

* * *

The sound made his stomach turn. Morgan wanted to be a professional, he wanted to seperate his emotion from his work... He couldn't. What if he had lost his friend?

* * *

"Spencer? SPENCER?"

* * *

What if he had failed? What if this was all over? Hotch took a gulp before rushing to work.

* * *

"Oh my god! Spencer... I... I... Are you alright? Oh my god.. I'm so sorry! Spencer!"

Reid looked up.

"It's fine. It's just a flesh wound." He said through pain, clutching his right arm as the blood began to spill.

"Oh my god! I hit you!" Valencia squeeled. "What do I do! Oh my god... Oh my god!"

* * *

"Someone get the damn phone line set up!" Yelled Frank.

* * *

Valencia ripped off her shirt as there was a tank top underneath it. "Here," She said, gently pushing her shirt to his wound.

* * *

_Ring Ring_

_

* * *

_

The phone rang, as she knew it would. She scrabled to the floor behind her, fumbling with the remote to turn off the television and grabbing the gun as to shove it in the back of her jeans. It seemed to ring louder and louder in her mind before she stood up and stared at it. She looked over at Reid who only stared at her while clutching his arm. What had she done? With trepidation she picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Valencia asked in a shaky voice.

Everyone at The Coffee House was dead silent as the team, Maggie, Frank and a few officers crowded around the phone and recorder they had haphazardly set up. They were all wondering whether he was okay and it had frightened them to their core.

"Valencia." Hotch said with his eyes closed. "Is everything alright?"

"I... I didn't mean to! It was an accident!"

Everyones heart dropped. _Oh no_.

"What happened Valencia? Is Dr Reid okay?"

"I.. No! I mean yes! He's alive. But he's hurt."

Hotch took a breath.

"Okay Valencia. You need to listen to me. Tell me exactly what happened."

"There was too much noise. I didn't know what was going on! They told me too..." She stopped, realizing it sounded crazy. "I just... the world was spinning, and the gun went off and I didn't know how it happened but it did and then he was hurt and I didn't mean too but I did!" She said as quickly as anything.

"Is he conscious?"

"Yes."

"Where did he get shot?"

"His arm."

At this point the team felt huge relief wash over them. This was certainly not an ideal situation, but at least he wasn't dying.

"Valencia, I need to talk to Dr Reid." Said Hotch, knowing it likely wouldn't amount to anything. Her answer shocked him

"Okay."

Valencia knew this wasn't a good idea for her. She should have put it on speaker phone, or let him say something quickly before hanging up. The truth was, she'd had enough of this. She just wanted it to be over. If Hotch and Reid decided to plot her demise then perhaps it wasn't a bad thing. Besides, if anyone deserved a phone call it was Reid. She handed him the phone, walked back to the spot she had been sitting in early and sank to the floor, staring at the ground. It suprised Reid to say the least.

"Hotch?" Reid asked, suprised at how his voice croaked.

Hotch closed his eyes in relief.

"Reid. Am I on speaker phone?"

"No."

Hotch paused for a minute.

"Can you hear what I'm saying, Valencia?"

"It's just me Hotch." Said Reid.

This could have been a tactic Valencia was using, by forcing Reid to say he was alone to gauge Hotch's response. Hotch knew Reid well however and knew that he would have found a way to warn him.

"Reid, are you okay?"

"I've been better." Reid joked through the pain.

"Are you hurt?"

"It's just a fleshwound. My arm. I'll survive."

"Reid, can you tell us what happened?"

"A misunderstanding. A lot of confusion" Reid said looking at Valencia whose eyes where still on the ground. He couldn't give to much away without her catching on and getting upset.

"I understand." Said Hotch. "Is there a chance she'll try something again?"

Reid searched for words he could use while Valencia sat across from him.

"Not intentionally." He decided on.

"We've got her father here. It looks like something's up." Hotch said.

"I know."

"You know what?" Hotch asked curiously.

"The first part."

Hotch looked at his team mates.

"How?"

"News." Said Reid, trying not to be to specific.

"Damn it. Is that what caused her episode?"

"That and other things."

Hotch thought about it.

"On the news?" He questioned.

"Yes."

"About Alex Newman?"

"No."

"The Doctor?"

"Yes."

Pause.

"What kind of state is she in now?"

"Silent."

Hotch took another break before responding.

"We're going to get you out of there, okay Reid? Just hold on and stay quiet. This case is looking more and more complicated." Hotch gulped at what he was about to say as he hadn't said it outloud yet. He looked at Maggie. "It's possible we may have missed something."

Reid closed his eyes, half out of pain and half out of confusion. Hotch didn't miss anything.

"How likely is it that she'll try something like this again?"

"It depends."

"On what? Her mental state?"

"Yes."

"And in your professional opinon?"

"I don't know, Hotch. It could at any time."

Reid risked a glance at Valencia but she was still staring at the floor.

"Reid, can I speak to Valencia?"

Reid moved the phone away from his face before asking her.

"Valencia, I'm going to slide the phone over to you, okay? Agent Hotchner wants to speak with you. You don't have to if you don't want too."

This time Valencia looked up at him, tears rolling down her face. She nodded. With his good arm, Reid slid the phone over to her.

"Hello?" Valencia asked as she brought the phone to her ear.

"Valencia." Said Hotch. "I know you didn't mean to hurt him. It was an accident, I know that, nobody blames you."

Valencia scrunched her eyes shut to stop more tears from falling.

"But we need for you to come out. Dr Reid is innocent. You know that, don't you?"

"I course I do." She said quietly.

"Then let him go, Valencia."

She shook her head even though she knew he couldn't see.

"You don't get it. Why didn't you just answer me? I wrote to you all the time."

"Valencia, we didn't get the letters. They didn't send them."

More tears rolled down her face as she choked back a sob.

"I'm sorry Aaron, but this... it's bigger than all of us. If you don't have something back in one hour... Someone will die."

With that, she hung up. She purposefully did not look at Reid.

The agents looked at each other.

"Someone." Said Emily, illuminating their thoughts.

* * *

Hotch walked back to Alex Newman's room, this time more angry than he'd ever been. Maggie tried to keep up but Hotch was walking too fast and officers kept getting in her way, all trying to also keep up with what had just happened. When Hotch reached the room he swung the door open almost hard enough to break the glass on a nearby window. Maggie came in behind him and shut the door but sensed he wanted to take the lead. She hung back while Hotch walked up to the table, pulled out a chair and stared at Newman.

"What happened?" Asked Alex in a voice more vunerable than either of them had heard.

"What do you think happened?" Hotch shot back.

Alex looked down.

"Is she alright? Is the person she's with alright?"

"They're alive... For now."

Alex took a huge sigh of relief and slumped back in his chair.

"But alright? That's another issue entirely. I've got an agent in there who has been shot and Valencia is so ill that she could kill him or herself at any second."

This caused Alex to straighten up a bit.

"Tell me about you and Dean Porter." Said Hotch. It wasn't a question.

"What do you want to know?"

"Were you in a relationship?"

Alex hesitated for a minute before settling on "Yes."

"How long were you together?"

Alex again looked around the room before answering.

"I don't know... It was a while ago. Maybe... two years? I could be wrong. You'd have to ask Dean."

"You don't remember how many years you were together with someone whose daughter you went to jail for molesting?"

Alex hung his head.

"No. Sorry."

Hotch's fist came pounding down on the table causing Alex newman to jump. Maggie flinched slightly but managed to hide it well.

"I don't believe you Alex. I want the truth!"

"I... I don't know! What you want me to say? I loved him."

"Then why can't you tell me a simple thing like how long you were together?"

Alex paused.

"I don't know... I was embarrassed, I guess."

"You know what? I don't believe you. "

"Look, I don't care what you-"

"Shut up!" Hotch yelled, suprising everyone in the room including himself. He couldn't remember the last time he had told anyone to shut up.

"You listen to me Newman because I'm only going to say this once. You've gone on and on about how you care for Valencia and how you would never hurt her. Now's your chance to prove it. In there," Hotch used his hand to point in the general direction of the bookstore "Is a bright, sick young girl who at 17 has been through more than most will in a lifetime. If I don't start getting some answers she's going to shoot an innocent man. After that, do you know what she's going to do Newman? Then she's going to shoot herself!"

Hotch's words hit home, and Alex started laughing. It wasn't a joyful or malicious laugh, but one of pity and desperation. The laugh soon turned to quiet tears before alex leaned back, looking down. When he looked back up at Hotch all the emotion was gone. He looked calm for the first time.

"You're right." Alex said. "I'm a coward." This part was said quietly and more to himself than anything.

"I'm sorry. I've been lying to you. I haven't told you the full story." He looked at Hotch and Maggie now who were both listening intently. "In fact, I haven't even started telling you the real story at all."


	19. For The Girl

**A/N- **Hey guys! So sorry for the long break... Exams, exams, exams! It's over now, and I'm on holidays. Yay!

This chapter was so much fun to write! It's a little longer than my usual ones, I think you guys deserve it. I'm sure there will be some major WTFing by the end though.

**Recap- **Valencia shot Reid, by accident. It's just a flesh wound though. She's given our team an ultimatum; come up with results in an hour or someone will die. Dun dun dun. Dean Porter (Valencia's father) claims that he had an affair with one Alex Newman, the guy charged with molesting his daughter. But somethings up. Alex says it's not true. Alex has something to say and he is planning on telling Maggie and Hotch the 'the real story'.

Oh, and if anyone wants to knock that 49 reviews into 50 I wouldn't complain. There may even be a free cookie in it for you.

**

* * *

**

Start talking Alex." Said Hotch.

Alex took a breath.

"Anya Porter."

"The mother." Said Maggie. "Died in a car crash."

Alex paused and looked hesitantly and Odette and Hotchner. "Not quite."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Hotch.

Alex sighed, unsure of where to start.

"The night she died... It was... I was..." He searched for the words. "I came into Dean's house like I usually did. It was no big deal for me to walk through the front door without knocking. I practically lived there. But it was different this time. There was so much noise. Valencia was only an infant then, so it wasn't her. But that's kind of what it sounded like. A child screaming. I walked into the living room and I saw... Anya holding a knife. She was yelling at Dean hysterically, I couldn't even makeout what she was saying. 'Anya!' I yelled at her. 'Put the knife down! What's going on?' And Dean... Well he was just standing there, you know? Just doing nothing! And she looked like she was about to pounce... about to stab him! So I launched at her, I tried to grab the knife. She cut me... accidently. I still have the scar."

Alex rolled up his shirt sleeve to reveal a scar on his arm.

"So we fought for it, and Dean was still standing there, just watching. And I couldn't figure out why he wan't helping because I was yelling 'Dean! Dean! Help me!' And then I finally got my hands around the base of it, but she was holding on so strong. I yanked it out of her grip and I... I pushed her. I didn't mean to, I swear! I just needed to get the knife!"

His voice calmed now, as he looked them both in the eyes. He spoke quietly.

"But she fell. At that was that. She fell and hit her head on this stupid wooden cabinet. Then she was on the floor."

* * *

**_15 years ago_**

"Oh my god!" Alex dropped to the floor as Anya lay there. Blood pooled around her head.

"Dean!" Alex yelled in frustration. Why wasn't he doing anything?

Alex checked her pulse. It was gone. She wasn't breathing either.

"I've got to call an ambulance." Alex said, who was white as a sheet. He got up and made for the phone.

"Wait!" yelled Dean, who was now right in front of him, his hand a firm hold on Alex's bloody wrist.

"She cut you. You need to be bandaged up." Said Dean, strangely calm.

"What are? Are you serious? She needs an ambulance!" Alex yelled.

"Look at her, Alex." Alex didn't look. "I said look!" Dean half yelled, taking a hand to Alex's head and twisting it in the direction of Anya.

"She's dead, Alex."

"No no no..." Alex said quietly, closing his eyes.

"Listen to me Alex. Listen." Said Dean, now gripping his shoulders and slightly shaking him.

"I don't blame you, alright. Not at all." Dean stared into Alex's eyes. "You had no choice. None. She would have killed me. She wasn't well and she was drunk as usual. She probably would have killed Valencia too. She tried to stab you." He said, gesturing to the bloodied arm.

"That's... That's not how it happened..."

"Sure it is, Alex. Though some may not see it that way."

"I don't understand.." said Alex.

Dean laughed.

"You think I didn't know? Come on, man. When she told me she was pregnant, she tried to feed me this story about how we got drunk one night. Truth is, I hadn't slept with her in about half a year."

Alex paled some more, if that was possible.

"Hey Alex, It's alright. I don't blame you." Dean said with a wide smile. "She's attractive, she's funny.. I'm only suprised it didn't happen sooner."

"Dean, I-"

"Shh." Dean said, raising a finger to Alex's lips. "She was a lot of things. A drunk, a whore...but she was a good mother, through all her faults. And Valencia, well she's great. Really takes after you."

Alex didn't bother saying anything this time.

"Some people, and not me, but some people might say that you killed her to keep your little secret hidden. Maybe you were scared of what I would do. Maybe you didn't want to pay child support. Maybe you didn't want to sully your reputation, or be a father... hell, maybe you raped her and didn't want the truth to come out. You see where I'm going with this Alex?"

Alex didn't do anything this time. He just stared at Dean robotically, devoid of all emotion.

"Let's be honest, Alex. It's not a stretch." Dean squinted and shrugged. "You _did _kill her."

He continued.

"You tried to stab her. Your fingerprints are all over that knife. And Anya, the fighter she was, got you back one last time in self defense." Dean grabbed Alex's arm to prove a point.

"And me, well I saw the whole thing. I would never betray you Alex. I would never spread these vicious lies. But if someone were to ask me, I couldn't lie, could I? I would be obligated to relay the truth of what I saw, and the truth is that my beautiful, lovely young wife is dead because murdered her. And now that little bundle of joy down the hall is without a mother. Wouldn't want to get yourself in trouble and leave her an orphan, would you?"

Alex continued to stare, unsure what was going on around him. Dean shrugged again.

"Then again... What use is she? Valencia isn't mine. If something were to happen-"

"You son of a bitch!" Alex yelled.

"Shh." Said Dean again, pushing Alex down onto a nearby couch. "You're worked up. You're letting your emotions control you."

Dean stared sympathetically at Alex.

"My dear, dear friend." Said Dean, rubbing off some blood on Alex's face with his thumb. "Let's fix this, okay?"

* * *

"Valencia is your daughter?" Maggie asked in awe.

Alex looked down in confirmation.

"So you wouldn't mind giving us a blood sample to prove it?" Said Maggie.

"Not at all." Said Alex.

"Hold on." Said Hotch. "This doesn't explain what happened to Valencia. Or how the world come to think Anya Porter died in a car crash. Or how the photos got on your computer, or-"

"I haven't finished the story yet, agent."

**

* * *

**

"I'm trusting you. Go and bring your car as far up to the house as you can."

When Alex got back, Dean was wiping up the blood from the floor and putting the bloody rag into a plastic bag. Anya's body was wrapped up in an old carpet.

"Oh god..." said Alex, looking as if he was about to vomit. Dean just looked up and looked back down to his dead wife.

"Help me load her into the car." Dean took a look outside but no one was around. It was dark as anything outside.

With a few steps she was in the boot. Dean slammed it shut and chuckled with a sigh of relief.

"Who knew this could be so much work!"

"What's wrong with you?" Alex asked incrediously.

"Me?" Dean asked. "Nothing. I'm saving your butt here man. You should be grateful." With a pat on the arm Dean walked back inside, leaving Alex standing there, contemplating what was going on for a few minutes.

He came out with a backpack, but more troubling, Valencia on his arm.

"What are you doing?" Alex asked frantically.

"Relax. I can't just leave her here by herself. What kind of person do you think I am?"

Alex just stared.

"You take your car. I'll take Anya's."

"Where are we going?"

Dean looked up for a second.

"Do you remember when Anya and I first got engaged?"

Alex hesistated. "Sure.."

"Do you remember where you threw that party for us?"

"Dean, where are you going with this?"

"Your fathers holiday house. Plenty of room. Nobody around for miles."

"Dean, this is too much."

Dean lowered his voice as not to be overheard. He looked at Valencia to make sure she was sleeping, even though if she had been awake she wouldn't have understood anything.

"More than killing someone? More than going to prison? More than impregnating your best friends wife? You've got some screwed up priorities there Alex."

Alex stayed silent.

"You ready?" Asked Dean. Alex still didn't say anything. "Good."

* * *

"Hang on a minute." Hotch said. "Just before the gunshot. When Dean was yelling at you."

They recalled that moment.

_"You said you loved me."_

_A whisper._

_"You said you loved me!"_

_A shout._

_Everyone around stopped what they were doing and looked up, some flat out staring and others pretending not too. Alex only had a look of pure shock on his face._

_"Dean, what are-"_

_"Do you remember that time at your fathers get away house? You looked me right in the eyes and said I knew you better than anyone! You said you'd do anything for me! And then I found out... She was just a little girl Alex! My little girl!" Dean yelled with fury_

"Son of a bitch." Said Maggie. "He was warning you to keep your mouth shut. And we all fell for it."

Hotch looked at Maggie.

"What happened next?" Asked Hotch.

**

* * *

**

When they arrived at their destination, Dean took Valencia inside. It made Alex uneasy. When he returned, he asked where the shovels were.

They walked about a half a mile into a wooded area. It was getting too dense to move. Dean, the stronger of the two, carried Anya's limp body on his back while Alex carried the shovels. They dug a hole, it was a somber affair.

"Aren't you concerned people are going to ask where she is?" Questioned Alex.

"You've seen how much she drinks. So has everybody else in the godamned state. Besides, I have a plan."

* * *

"We're going to need you to write down the address." Said hotch, sliding over a pen and a piece of paper.

"No problem." Said Alex.

Maggie and Hotch looked at each other. If he had been lying he wouldn't have handed over the informatio. It would be proven or disproven easily. As soon as they were out of this room they would send someone up to find the body.

"So what was the plan Newman?" Hotch asked.

* * *

Once that was done, the three of them drove far away from the burial spot until they were on a bridge 30 or so minutes from the Porter's house. It was isolated, nobody used it much after the new highway had been built. Alex saw Dean pull over ahead of him so he did the same. It made him extremely nervous.

"What are we doing here?" Asked Alex when they were both out of there cars.

"Show some respect Alex. This is where my poor, drunken wife veered off the road and plunged to her watery death." Dean said dramatically.

Alex stared while Dean opened the back door of his car and pulled out Valencia.

"What are you doing with her?"

"Despite what you may think, Alex, I'm not a monster. I don't like this anymore than you. I'm just making the best of a bad situation."

He walked up to Alex and shoved Valencia at him.

"Here. Take _your daughter_ at put her in your car."

Alex complied and did just that.

"Now come help me!" Dean shouted.

Alex walked over in time to see Dean pulling out an empty vodka bottle and sticking it securely between the seats. He pulled out a blood soaked rag and wiped it all over the seat.

"I'm probably being over cautious... The water will most likely wash this away."

Alex walked over to the side, looking over. The water roared violently. It has rained hard that month.

"You ready?" Dean asked, prompting Alex to turn around.

"Ready?"

Dean rolled his eyes and walked behind the car, pushing at the back of it.

"Come on!" Dean yelled.

Alex walked around and helped him. He stopped suddenly.

"Dean?"

"Yes?"

"If you were just going to push the car in the water... Why the hell did we bury her in the woods?"

"She had a head wound. The would have found it and suspected something."

"No. They would have assumed she'd gotten it in the crash. More so than a car without a body."

"Have you seen the water? They'll just assume she got washed out. This car will be nothing by the time someone finds it."

"That's not what I asked. You had us bury her there as an insurance policy, didn't you? So that if worst came to worst they would find her body on my family's property."

"So I could pretend what, Alex? That you killed her? I don't have to fake that, because that's exactly what happened."

Alex paused.

"What is it?"

"What is what?" Dean asked.

"What do you have to hide that's worse than covering up a murder? Because I sure as hell know you're not doing this for me or Valencia."

Dean smiled. "You wanna be caught doing this or what?"

And they pushed. They pushed until the empty, old white car dove into thrashing blue current.

"Come on. Someone might have heard." Dean said.

A cry came from Alex's car. Valencia had woken up. The pair walked back.

Alex moved to the back door to see to the girl. Dean gripped his arm. The next single word scared him more than anything else that night.

"No." He gripped his arm tighter and looked directly into his eyes. "No. Just because you screwed my wife does not mean you have any claim to her. If you ever try to take her away, they will all know what you did."

Alex tried to move away but Dean only gripped his arm tighter.

"Besides, I'd rather see her dead than with you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes." Alex said meekly.

"Good. You drive."

It was two more days before Dean called in a missing persons report. Five more before the police came around and knocked on his door. He burst into tears, telling the policeman it couldn't be true. They said that they didn't have a body, but that was expected given the water levels and damage inflicted on the car. They had reason to believe that she was drinking. No reason to investigate. It was a dangerous bridge. She was a drunk. Eight more days to the funeral. Dean wept the whole way through while holding his almost daughter.

* * *

Hotch stared at him for a while. So did Maggie. Alex just looked down the whole time.

"That still doesn't explain the photos on your computer or what happened to Valencia."

"I don't know." Said Alex.

"You don't know? But it was such a good story Newman." Said Maggie.

"Look." Said Alex "I honestly don't know. I mean I can guess, I'm not an idiot." Maggie scoffed but Alex ignored her. "The photos came out of nowhere, I would never do that to my...to my own..."

"Daughter?" Hotch offered.

"All I know is that I didn't take them. All I know is that they appeared while Dean was under suspicion of molestation."

"Wait a second." Said Maggie, seating herself in a nearby chair. "You're telling me that you suspected Dean was killing children and you did nothing to stop it?"

"Woah" Alex raised his hands. "Don't get me wrong. Valencia is... Smart. And funny. Such a kind soul. But she _was _sick. I remember the first time I noticed. At first I thought it was an imaginary friend, but it was so frequent. I had an imaginary friend when I was young. I used to play car races with him. He didn't tell me to kill myself. He didn't describe the ways in which someone should be cut into little pieces or... touched."

"So why did you stick around and stay in business with Dean after you knew what he was capable of?" Asked Maggie.

"He wanted to protect his daughter." Hotch answered.

Maggie looked from Hotch to Alex.

"He's right." Alex confirmed. "If I had said anything about him... I'm sure he would have hurt her. I didn't realize what he was doing... I thought it was just her illness. A delusion. When they found the photos on my computer I realized it might have not been. Before I could do anything she was being taken away and put into an institution. You have to believe me... I would have told the truth if he was going to be alone with her. I would have died before I let that happen. But she was in hospital, and as much as it killed me, it was where she belonged."

Maggie and Hotch looked at each other before standing up. Hotch looked down at his watch. 35 minutes to save Reid.

"Get yourself a lawyer Newman. You're gonna need it."

* * *

Valencia stared at Reid from across the empty room. He sweating and his red stained hand was clamped over his arm.

"It's not just a flesh wound, is it?"

Reid shivered, looking down.

"No."


	20. Devil's Spoke

**A/N-** Oh man, it's been a while. I'm sorry this next chapter was so hard to write because I knew the outcome I wanted, I just wasn't sure how to get there. So it's a little weak, sorry. But I figured I should just get it over with instead of waiting another few months. I actually wrote the rest of the fic before writing this chapter. So that's the good news, I'm done :) It should be getting to you soon. I have to edit it first. I'll see what I can do tonight and tomorrow. The last chapter is kind of long so probably won't be up until I get back from holidays. Just a week though. Oh yeah, three chappies left.

I'll do you a little recap again because when I read a fic that hasn't been updated in a while I'm always going huh?

- Alex and Dean are having arguing about the love affair they had, an 'accident' where they ran into each other (orchestrated by our favourite profilers of course). Then, a gun goes off. Turns out Valencia accidently shot Reid. But he is okay. The team is under the impression it was just a flesh wound. It's not. They spoke to Alex and he spilled the beans. He is Valencia's real father and was never in a relationship with Dean. He was however in one with his wife ;) but then, he sorta accidently killed her. Anya (Dean's wife) threatened him with a knife for reasons unknown and Alex, without knowing the 'real Dean' tried to save him, which resulted in Anya's death. Dean then come up with a plan to bury her and push her car off a bridge in order to cover up her death. Dean threatened Valencia so Alex never said anything about anything to the police. Whew, that's a lot.

Ya ready?

* * *

Once out of the investigation room, An angry Maggie and frustrated Hotch filled the team in on what had just happened.

"He's her father? Wow. This changes everything." Said Emily.

"I'll call the officers that handled Anya's case." JJ decided.

"I'll send some of my officers up to where this SOB said the body was buried. See if we can find anything." Frank declared.

"I'll get Garcia to send over any and all information we have on Anya Porter." Morgan said.

"Good." Said Hotch. "We've only got," Hotch looked at his watch "30 minutes before the deadline Valencia set."

Everyone shifted uncomfortably.

"How're we gonna play this?" asked Maggie.

* * *

When they entered the room Dean was sitting in, they found him with his hands in his head, silent tears running down his face.

"I'm so sorry about all this Dean." Maggie said warmly, sitting down on a chair next to him "Don't worry, no one was seriously injured. It was just a misfire."

"Valencia's okay?" Dean asked eagerly.

"As okay as can be."

Dean nodded.

"And the screw up with Newman... Not our finest hour." Maggie looked at Hotch who gave a look in confirmation. "We're so sorry you had to go through that."

Dean once again nodded, but with more tears this time.

"I just loved him, you know? And I'm so worried... About Valencia..." he managed to say in a strained voice.

"Of course. We understand." Maggie put a hand on his thigh and shook in a reassuring kind of way.

"Under the circumstances, it must have been hard to find out about Newman and Valencia."

"Haven't we already been through this? I was in love with the man and he molested my daughter. It wasn't exactly a walk in the park detective." Dean said in a shakey and mildly irritated voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You misunderstood me." she paused for dramatic effect. "I was talking about Alex being Valencia's real father."

Dean stopped breathing for a second. He looked to Maggie and then to Hotch, but their faces gave nothing away.

"He said that?" Dean asked quietly.

"He sure did Dean."

Dean paused for another second.

"He's right. But I raised her. Just because he knocked up my wife doesn't mean anything! It hurt so much... I... I..." more tears came.

"You must have hated her, your wife."

"What? No... I mean, I was sad, yes, but things between me and my wife... They weren't real. Not like Alex and I."

"Still." Said Maggie. "Must have been a relief when Alex killed her."

"Why are you saying these things?" Dean asked tearfully. "My daughter is out there and-"

"Cut the crap Porter. We know the truth. We know what you did." Said Hotch.

"What I did?" asked Dean.

"I'd like to advise you to invest in a Lawyer, Dean." Maggie chimed in.

"I don't need a lawyer! I didn't do anything wrong!" Said Dean.

"I love it when they say that, don't you?" Asked Hotch.

"What is this... Good cop bad cop?" Dean asked.

Maggie laughed. "Honey, if you think I'm good cop, you ain't seen nothin' yet."

"I'm the victim here!" Dean yelled.

"Alex told us everything, Dean." Hotch began. "He told us how he saved you from his wife, how he came up with the idea of driving her car off the bridge, how he got you to bury her at his father's lodge..."

"Wait-" Dean innterupted.

Maggie only laughed once again. "What kind of man can't defend himself against his wife?"

"Can you even call it a man?" Hotch asked.

"We're wasting our time." Said Maggie. "There is no way some _boy_ like Dean Porter could ever pull off something like this."

Hotch got closer to Dean and addressed him as if Maggie wasn't in the room. He spoke quietly.

"I'm a profiler, Dean. I know you didn't do this. Men like you... aren't nearly dominant or strong enough to pull off something like this. Your wifes murder only went under the radar so long because of Newman's intelligence. He forced you into it, didn't he?"

"Did he... Did he force you to have a relationship with him? Force you to do things?" Maggie asked in a kind school teacher voice.

Dean laughed whole heartedly, but it was a show. He was angry.

"Alex? Intelligent? If you really think that maybe you need to get out of the profiling bussiness. Alex couldn't force a fish to swim. He's an idiot and if it weren't for me..."

"If it weren't for you what?" asked Hotch.

Dean sighed.

"You don't get it do you?" Asked Dean. "You think you're investigating. You think you're here to save the day. You're not. This has always been my game. You're both just players in it."

Maggie leaned back in her chair, relaxing.

"Tell me about Meredith."

"What about her?" Dean asked, annoyed that his speech was being cut short.

"Was it her idea to pretend you were gay? Did she come up with the idea of planting the photos on Newman's computer?"

Dean laughed, once again.

"You're not serious, are you? Meredith? Are we talking about the same one? She couldn't take a leak without asking for permission."

"Where'd all that charm go, Dean?" Maggie asked.

"I tend to loose my cool when I'm arguing with morons!" Dean yelled furiously.

"No need to yell Dean." Said Maggie condescendingly. "You'll get yourself all worked up. How about you calm down and I'll ask someone to whip you up a nice Chamomile tea."

Dean stood up, his chair making a noise as it's legs were harshly pushed against the floor. Maggie stood to meet him. He had a fierce look in his eyes.

"I have a theory about female police officers. They get into the business to have some fake sense of authority over men. Does it scare you that any of the men you boss around could force you against the wall and take you any way they wanted?"

Hotch walked over and pushed him down back to his seat.

"Sit down." he said in a threateningly stern voice, his hand a firm grip on Dean's shoulder.

Maggie, unaffected, leaned close to Dean.

"And I have a theory about men like you. They hurt children because they are the only people that can exert dominance over. In every day life, you're weak and pathetic. To them you're the big bad wolf. Must be tiring pretending you're a tough guy."

"You listen to me you little bitch," he said, pointing his finger in her face "I'm a lot smarter than anyone in this room. You think you can break me? You just try."

Hotch spoke up.

"She's right. It must have hit you hard when Valencia spoke up. You thought you could do anything you wanted to her and she'd lie back and take it. Here you are years later and she's still standing up to you. You couldn't defend yourself against your wife, and you can't defend yourself against your daughter."

Dean laughed.

"Saint Anya couldn't do anything. The whore was sleeping with my friend and thought she was some bastion of moral authority. And Valencia? Please. Nobody is going to believe the word of some schizophrenic teenager. And why would they? She's clearly not of a right mind."

"So why was 'Saint Anya' threatening you anyway, Dean? Did she discover what you were doing to your own daughter? Did she try to unburden the world by kicking you out of it?" Maggie asked.

Dean looked up and smirked.

"If that were true, she'd be a real underachiever"

"That's why you agreed to cover up her death. So people wouldn't start asking why Anya, Saint and Bastion of Moral Authority, would threaten her husband with a knife."

"It's cute when you try and be clever, detective. Like a child trying on her mothers high heels." Replied Dean

Hotch leaned in close to him.

"Face it, Dean. You're not as smart as you think you are. We've got this all figured out and now you're scared."

Dean smiled through his teeth, trying to stay calm.

"You think you've got this all figured out?" He said quietly.

"You think you have this all figured out?" he yelled it now, his face a hot red. He violently swept his arm across the table in anger, causing two cheap ceramic coffee cups to fly against the wall and break into a hundred pieces.

He stood up so that his chair hit the back of the wall. Maggie saw some officers coming through the glass door but she waved them off.

"You're all idiots! You think Alex is smart and that Meredith is some kind of criminal genius? You're as pathetic as they are!"

Dean started breathing heavily trying to control his anger, but it wasn't working.

"You think I'm some fag who was controlled by Alex? Alex is nothing! If it weren't for me he'd be in jail for murder. I cleaned that mess up for him. He'd do anything I say. In college, I threw this party. Some 18 year old with Daddy problems couldn't hold her liquor and ended up choking on her own vomit. I blamed Alex and it almost got him kicked out. He just took it! Didn't say anything. That's just the kind of man he is. Weak. Pathetic! Look at him now. Still taking my punishment because he's too afraid to say anything. You think that guy is intelligent? Really?"

The room went silent. Dean had yelled so fast Maggie and Hotch had to process what he said. But it was clear enough.

"What did you just say?" Asked Hotch, breaking the silence.

"What?" Dean ask.

"You said he took your punishment. Are you admitting to molesting your daughter?"

Silence.

"I..."

"You..." Maggie prompted impatiently.

the game was lost. Dean porter looked down in silence, taking a break from the situation. Reconciling with the new chapter about to unfold. He looked up with confidence.

"Like any of you cared. You were more than willing to see the poor little crazy girl locked away. More than willing. So don't act all high and mighty. You're just as much to blame."

"You son of a bitch..." Maggie begun, the sentence lingering. "You killed them all, didn't you."

Dean laughed a sickening laugh that ended in a smug smile.

"Prove it."

Maggie looked as if she was about to walk over a punch him square in the jaw. Hotch stepped in, taking a fist of his shirt, pulling him up and pushing him into the wall. He got out his cuffs.

"Don't worry. I intend too."

Suddenly the door burst open. Morgan stood in the doorway.

"Hotch, she's come out of the building. Reid is with her and she has a gun to his head."


	21. Two Way Monologue

**A/N-** Thought I'd upload again. I swear this fic contains the longest day in history lol. Sorry if this has errors, I feel like I've read it over 100 times so it's sort of all blurring together in my head.

Thanks for the reviews, and so quick too!

CaseyRachel88, I'm always getting reviews from you. Surely you're sick of this story by now! But I appreciate it XD

* * *

She looked at him blinking, trying to keep his eyes open. He was sweating, shivering. Pale as a ghost. Red stained his fingertips and the makeshift bandage Valencia had constructed out of her jacket.

"Spencer?" She asked warily. "You still with us?"

"Y...Yes..." He managed to get out of his clattering teeth.

She took a long breath. She couldn't wait any longer. She looked down at her watch. 15 minutes to the final showdown, to deliver the ultimatum she had promised. She wondered if Dr Reid would last a quarter of an hour more. It didn't matter. She was setting the rules and the rules had changed. It was now. Go time.

"It's time Doctor." She said. Spencer looked up at her with frightened eyes.

"B...b..but you, you said... we s..sstill have a..a..atleast 15 more mintues!"

"That was then Spencer. The game has changed. You're fading on me."

"I can hold on..." he said quietly.

She walked across to him. He tried to hold strong but he was passed being that person. He was scared. He didn't want to die alone in this room. He thought of the gun in her back pocket. He wondered if it was more likely he'd die from a bullet to the head or heart. Probably the head. They usually go with the head.

She knelt down in front of him, and slowly raised a hand to his face.

"Spencer..." She began. "All of this... I'm so sorry. I didn't know what would happen, but I never thought that this..." she drifted off. He looked to the side, but she grasped his face tigher.

"Look at me." she directed. He complied. "Whatever happens I need you to know that you're a good person. That's so rare, in a world like this... You're good, Spencer Reid. You're good."

She stood up. "Time to go." She helped him stand up, and he leaned against her for support. She grabbed the gun out of her back pocket in case he decided to try anything. She didn't think he would.

"You don't need to...to do this Valencia. We can go back. You're...You're good too. I can help you" his strained voice managed to get out.

"You've helped me enough Spencer." she said. They approached the glass doors and she saw men in black with guns pointed at her face. Seeing her approaching people scrambled out of the way, yelling things at each other.

The sun light hit both of them like a freight train. Reid felt like he has been held in solitary confinement for days. Valencia felt as if it was her first time meeting the sun.

She raised the gun to Reid's head, his body still leaning against her. She had one arm around his waist to keep him from falling.

"Valencia Porter!" An unrecognizable man in black yelled. "Put the gun down and step away from the hostage!"

She stood her ground, unwavering.

The door to the cafe swung open and five people walked out, all fashioning bullet proof vests. One was old, one was black, one was a brunette woman, and two she recognized. Agent Maggie Odette. She had been nice all those years ago, Valencia thought. But she had been waiting for one in particular. Agent Aaron Hotchner.

"Valencia!" He yelled, taking a few steps forward as the others hung back.

Valencia looked at Reid, and closed her wet eyes, while kissing him on the cheek. "Be good, Doctor Reid. Be happy."

And then she pushed him hard. His wound had weakened him, and he crashed against the hot road, looking up at her, wondering what was going on. She only looked at him a second longer, before raising the gun to her own head and walking away.

"He needs a medic!" She yelled. "He's lost a lot of blood!"

It took a minute for people to confer with each other before a man and women in blue ran over with a stretcher, loading up Reid and taking him away, out of sight.

"You were never going to hurt him, were you." Said Hotch in a suprisingly sad voice.

"I did hurt him. I shot him in the arm. I held him hostage." she yelled back.

"Before, you told us that if we didn't have results someone would die." He looked at the gun now placed against her temple. "You were never talking about Reid, were you."

Morgan and Emily looked at each other, coming to a realization. Frank sighed. He knew this girl couldn't have been bad.

"Now isn't the time to analyze me, Agent. I've had a lifetime of that!"

"I know, Valencia. And that was wrong. You never should have been put in that place."

She looked at him confused for a moment. It's what she had always wanted to hear, she just never expected anyone to say it.

"What?" she asked.

"We know what your father did to you. I'm so sorry I didn't believe you Valencia. Believe me, I'll spend the rest of my life regretting my descions on that case."

She stared at him.

"He admitted it?" She asked in a shakey voice.

"We're taking him to jail soon."

"What about Alex?" She asked.

There was a story he wasn't about to get into.

"We'll issue a public apology. Take him off the sex offenders registry. I imagine he'll be reciving a large compensation sum."

"What... What about the murders?" She asked, in an almost frightened voice.

He took a breath. "I'm not going to lie to you Valencia. That one... That one is going to be hard to prove. We're going to need more than 45 minutes. But I swear to you Valencia, we believe he did it, and we are going to do our best to get justice for those children. "

She nodded, tears running down her face.

"And Dr Mack," Hotch began, "He'll be going to jail for a long time too. I promise you that."

She looked down, embarrassed.

"I didn't mean to shoot him." She said. "I was so confused... There were... so many voices..."

"I know you didn't Valencia. Anyone can see that."

More tears were falling now, she put her free hand to the other side of her head.

"How could I do this Aaron? Today I kidnapped and shot an innocent person..."

"Today you also solved a case and cleared an innocent persons name. You provided the first viable lead to parents who have been wondering the fate of their children for 8 years."

"But it's not enough! It'll never be enough! I didn't do anything then, and today all I did was hurt a good person!"

"You did what you had to Valencia. Everyone understands that. You've been abused and let down by everyone you trusted. Myself included. I'm sorry I let you down Valencia. But I promise you that you'll get through this.."

"It doesn't matter! I thought I'd never be like him... but today I was exactly like him. I have his blood running through my veins, and as much as I try to distance myself from him, he'll always be there. I'll always be like him."

Hotch wasn't sure if this was the right thing to say. It probably wasn't appropriate to dump all this on her while she had a gun connected to her head, but he felt like he should.

"You don't Valencia. You don't have his blood running through your veins. You never did."

"What?" Valencia asked, confused.

"He isn't your father. Alex is."

The world stopped, if only for a second.

"Wait.. What?" Valencia asked, dazed and confused.

"He and your mother... They had an affair. Dean and Alex both confirmed it. You're not his daughter Valencia and you never were."

"I don't understand... They both... They both knew?"

Hotch nodded.

"Did my mother know?" She asked, her voice cracking.

"Yes Valencia. She did, and she loved you very much."

"Why didn't Alex help me?" She wasn't sure if she wanted to cry or scream. "Why didn't he save me from him?"

"Alex thought you were sick Valencia. He knew you were hearing voices. He thought it was part of a delusion. When he realized it was true, he was too scared to say anything. He thought Dean would kill you if he ever said anything."

"He did kill me!" She screamed. "Over and over and over!"

Hotch took a few more steps forward so that about 10 yards seperated them. He spoke softly.

"He only realized it was the truth by the time he was arrested... and at that time, you were being taken to hospital. He thought you'd be safe there. He didn't know."

"I'm not safe anywhere." she said quietly.

Hotch didn't say anything. He didn't need to tell her about her mother. It was too much to handle.

"Did my father... Did Dean do something to my mother?" She questioned.

Great.

"You're mother died in a car crash Valencia. We thought the same thing, so we dug up the file. The evidence clearly showed it was an accident... there was no way someone could have staged it." Hotch lied.

He hated lying to her but it was a neccecary evil. Telling her that her father wasn't who she thought he was had been one thing, but to tell her that her old and new father had teamed together to cover up her mothers death, albiet accidental, was too much to put on her right now.

Valencia nodded.

"There is nothing left for me Agent. I'm done. I've finshed what I needed to do. You got your guy..." Valencia drifted off, tightening her grip around the gun.

"Valencia, don't do this..." Said Hotch.

"I'm sorry Aaron.."

She put her finger on the trigger...

"Mexico!"

Valencia was pulled out of her trance to notice a strange man pushing his was passed the snipers, elliciting very wary looks from what she presumed were colleagues. Agent Hotchner especially shot him a loaded look. The man put his hands in the air, walking up to where Aaron was standing.

"You don't know me. I work with Agent Hotchner. My name is Special Agent Morgan... You can call me Derek."

"I saw you... On TV. You arrested Dr Mack." She said in a matter of fact voice.

"I'm so sorry for what he did to you Valencia. It wasn't right. He was supposed to protect you."

Valencia didn't do anything. Hotch looked at him, wondering where he was going with this.

"I spoke to your friend." Said Morgan.

"Daisy?" Valencia asked instantly. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's uh, a little too okay if you know what I mean." Morgan joked.

Valencia tried not too, but she giggled. It felt like the first time in years. Frank, the only other person in the vicinity who knew what they hell was so funny, gave a half smile.

"But she's worried about you. She said to tell you something:" He paused. "Mexico."

She smiled and looked down.

"What does that mean?" he asked.

This time, she looked up at the sky.

"We used to play a game. We used to imagine what we'd do if we ever got out. An unlikely scenario, sure. Anywhere in the world though, that's how we used to play. But the only place she wanted to go was Mexico. So I guess that's where I wanted to go too."

"Maybe one day you'll get to go there, together." Said Morgan.

Valencia laughed.

"Yeah, Daisy feeling up all the locals, me taking directions from the voices in my head."

Morgan laughed. "You never no sweetheart."

"I guess it was just... our place..." Valencia said, but she seemed distracted. Then she realized she had known all along.

"Where would you go, if you could do anywhere in the world, Derek?"

A few glances were exchanged. If you closed your eyes you would have though it was a conversation being had in some bar. Not in the middle of the road, with an FBI agent and trigger happy crazy girl.

"When I was younger my Mom always talked about Spain. I never got the chance to go there, but I guess I always wanted too." Hotch answered.

"Everyone has a place." Valencia said quietly. "Everyone... has... a place."

She laughed, almost hysterically.

"Everyone has a place Valencia. But this place, it's not yours. It's mine. Maybe one day you'll get to go there too." Valencia said

Derek and Hotch looked at each other, wondering if they were still talking to 'Valencia'. Something had drastically changed.

"Are you okay, Valencia?" Hotch asked.

"I'm fine." She said. "It's just that... It's just that everyone has a place."

More confusion.

"I'm not sure I'm following." Said Hotch.

"I can only remember bits and pieces of what happened to me Aaron. Most of it I remember because I've been saying it over and over for years. It's like... It's like they're someone else memories. A second hand story. A lot of the time I can't remember what's real and what was in my head. Him coming into my room at night and asking me to undress... well... I'm sure that was real. That time his eyes went black and claws grew from his fingers? I think that was a delusion. But all in all, they're just fragments. When Dr Mack tried to touch me I remembered a lot more. Things, they jog my memory. I remember them somtimes. Like a song one of the girls used to sing playing on the radio, or cologne he used to wear."

She took a break to stare into the wide blue sky.

"I didn't see all of the girls, at least... I don't think I did. But I remember when he'd leave he would lock me up in the basement. When He'd come back, days had passed, and the girls were gone. I'd ask them where he'd taken them, and why I couldn't come."

She took a short pause. What unfolded next was a strange, two way conversation being spoken by one person. Everyone in the vicinity from the snipers to the underpaid part time deputies couldn't help but focus all their attention on the girl.

"'Everyone has a place Valencia. But this place, it's not yours. It's mine. Maybe one day you'll get to go there too.' 'What's it like there Daddy?' 'Well, Cia, there are beautiful lakes and giant green trees. You can't hear a sound... there's nobody for miles. Your mommy used to love it.' 'Why Daddy?' 'Well, it has a very romantic history. They say the man who discovered it walked a million miles trying to find his lost wife. He never found her, but when he found this place, and realized it was the second most beautiful thing god had ever created. So he named it after her.' 'What's it called Daddy?' 'Eden Falls, Cia, Eden Falls.' "

Officers behind the barriors went into overdrive. 'Eden Falls!' they yelled at each other. 'Is that in the mountains?' one would say. 'I'll get a map!' 'Call the mountain rangers' 'Get everyone you can, assemble a search party!'

She smiled what felt like her first genuine smile in years. Tears ran down her face, but they weren't tears of saddness.

"You've done good work, Valencia." Hotchner said, feeling the emotion in his voice. He was used to being stoic and a rock, but looking at her was too much.

She smiled now, at Hotch and Morgan who stood infront of her.

"You know," she began, "I've wanted to die for so long. I couldn't do it because I knew I had to get justice for those girls. I needed them to get home, for their parents to stop wondering if they ever would. I needed Alex to be free from my fathers sins. I needed _him _behind bars. And now... And now there is no reason for me to go on. I've done my part. It's been a pleasure, boys." She said.

"Valencia no!"

**BOOM.**

Blood fled from Valencia, as her body and gun hit the ground. People ran to her aid.

"Valencia!" Hotch yelled rushing over to her.

He noticed her eye lids fluttering and incoherent mumbles escaping her lips. The blood wasn't coming from her head.

Hotch turned around to see Maggie with her gun out, pointing it in their direction. She quickly holstered it and ran to Hotch's side, and did Morgan.

Two men in blue with medical equipment ran to Valencia and started assessing the wound, just below her right shoulder.

"Is she going to be alright?" Maggie asked the medic.

"It looks like a through and through, she'll be fine. But we need to get her to hospital." One of the men said.

Maggie sighed with relief and wiped her forehead.

"Good work Detective." Said Hotch, with a hand on her shoulder.


	22. The View

**A/N- **Hey guys, this is the second last chapter. Sorry, It's just a short one and it's a bit different from the others (it doesn't contain anything about any of the characters so far lol) but it will make sense when you read it. The next and final chapter will clear everything up and tie up loose ends. Promise :)

* * *

People rarely came up the mountains. He lived a pretty quiet existence here. The only people he ever seemed to encounter were young adventurers and confused tourists trying to get themselves out of trouble. Even that wasn't very often. It was about 45 minutes from a popular tourist destiation. The water from the falls here fell down the treacherous terrain and into a safe little lake for families to go swimming in. There was a town near by, but not many people new of it. Eden was the kind of place families lived in for generations. about 30 people resided there now.

Leo Renner was one of those people. Growing up the son of a ranger, he swore as soon as he turned 18 he'd be out of there in a flash. Move into the city and get an apartment that looked over all the people living their busy lives. That didn't happen. Leo stayed, had a child, married his high school sweet heart Ava and ended up doing the exact same job as his father.

It wasn't a flashy life, but it was nice. He wouldn't want to raise his son PJ any other place.

Leo recieved a radio transmission. Police where heading up this way. Leo's father Pete had headed down the track, ready to greet and prep them. There hadn't been this much chaos since back in 06' when that German Tourist fell to her death. This time it was something about missing children. A grave site they said. Leo didn't want to know, but he felt the urge to look anyway. Nobody knew this place better than him, and things would get hectic when heavy footed policemen from the city started barging around and losing themselves.

He got out of his truck. Once he closed the door he leaned against the hood. He took in the beautiful site and wondered if it had been burdened by the most horrendous of acts.

"Leo, you there?"

Leo reached into his pocket, retrieving the black radio he had shoved in their earlier.

"Yeah Dad. I don't see anything." he replied.

Pete Renner took a deep breathe, lowering his voice.

"The first police car arrived. I got Chuck to take em up in his car. They thought they would just drive up there themselves."

Leo sighed. "No wonder there are so many accidents. People have no idea."

"I know, son. Just remember why they're here. We gotta do everything we can to help em, even if that means ignoring stupidity."

Something caught Leo's eye.

"Son?" Pete prompted.

"Yeah, yeah I'm here."

Leo bent down to inspect. It was covered in dirt.

"I found something." Leo said warily.

Pete closed his eyes, afraid of what was coming next.

"It's a toy. When was the last time we had a kid up here?"

"Maybe it's PJ's?" suggested Pete.

Leo shook his head "It's a doll."

"Well I don't know Leo, that doesn't mean anything. Probably some dumb tourists."

Silence.

"Leo?"

"Someone's been here recently. The grass is all disturbed. I see some footprints."

"Hell Leo, that could be anyone from Town..."

"With a little girl?"

"Maybe you should wait to the police get there."

"Yeah. I'll talk later Dad."

Beep.

Leo and Pete both knew there was no way in hell Leo was waiting to the police got there. So he walked. He followed the path. He knew how to track something. Or someone.

It was difficult now. It was hard to believe someone would walk out all this way. Leo, maybe. His Father. Chuck. A handful of other locals. But a tourist? Someone with a little girl no less? He didn't like this.

He jumped over a creek. Climbed over some rocks. Pushed his way past a large bush. Avoided poison Ivy. The track got narrow. It got wet. He walked some more.

Clunk.

What the hell?

He looked down to his feet. He saw wood. He reached down.

Knock knock.

It was hollow.

'mph'

A noise.

Leo frantically moved dirt and leaves.

Wood was lined out in a rectangle formation. Not wood from the forest. They were smooth planks, probably bought from a hardware store.

Something shiny caught his eye.

A lock.

This was not good.

Leo quickly looked around, finding a rock.

**Bam.**

It stayed in place.

**Bam.**

He tried again.

**Bam.**

It flung off.

Leo pressed his hand against the wood, closing his eyes for half a second. He was scared of what he would find inside.

He opened it.

The space was only a little bigger than a coffin. Appropriate, given what was inside.

_Oh god._

The lifeless body of a small girl lay inside.

Insects crawled all over her, biting at her skin and eating the material of her small white dress.

Leo had to be sure.

He reached out. "Honey?" he said in a wary voice.

Movement.

Her eyes fluttered.

"Mom?" a small weak voice escaped her dry throat.

"Oh my god." Said leo. "Honey."

He reached out to pick her up.

"No!" she tried to scream. "Go away! I want Mommy! Don't touch me!"

"Honey honey honey..." Leo said frantically "My name's Leo... You're safe now. Here... come on..."

She stopped talking. Her eyes closed. She was still breathing though it was faint.

"Dad!" Leo screamed into the radio.

"Leo? What's wrong!"

"I found one! I found a girl!"

"Jesus... I'll tell the police..."

"You're not listening!" Leo screamed into the radio. "She's alive dad, she's alive!"


	23. The Last Page

**A/N-** Wow, I can't believe I'm finally done! Just a little note, I'm sorry if this is kind of a cliche way of explaining what happened. There was just so much to cover and I couldn't think of a better way to do it. Hope you enjoy :D

Extended A/N at the bottom :)

_1 Week Later_

"And thank you to Mike Rainbird for that story. Certainly a reminder to never count your chickens before they hatch."

She took a break, her smiling demeanor quickly turned to a serious face in true news style.

"And now to Sally Suzack, for a deeper examination of the workings behind the hostage situation that unfolded this week. It certainly is a complex story, right Sally?"

"Absolutely Wendy." The camera showed the building behind her. "Here I stand at Saint Mary's hospital for the mentally ill, where a teenager who is being called a hero by some, and a criminal by others, resided. The story starts in 2002 when a young girl calls a helpline to report her father as the much feared Washington Snatcher. She tells FBI agent Aaron Hotchner that her father is molesting her, and that he has killed the missing eight girls. The girl's mental state is called into question when she is diagnosed by FBI psychiatrists as having schizophrenia. Photo's soon apear on her fathers business partner's computer which proves part of the girls story. The business partner, a Mr Alex Newman, is arrested for child molestation and possesion of child pornography."

An old video tape of Alex appears on screen. 'I didn't do it, I didn't do it!' he screams. "Right now, we don't suspect Mr Newman of the Washington Snatcher murders." A younger Hotchner says.

"But that's not the end of the misery for a young Valencia Porter, who is soon institutionalized by her Father, the man who she still accuses of molesting her and of the Washington Snatcher kidnappings. At 17, still in hospital, she is allegedly sexually assaulted by Dr William Mack who last week was arrested on 12 different counts of Sexual Assault."

Footage of a man appears on screen.

"The board is very ashamed of our handelling of the situation. It is a disgrace that a man like William Mack got employment anywhere in the United States, let alone this institution. Dr Mack buried his information very well, but we bare the burden for not investigating more."

This time a man and women appear.

"Our daughter Regina..." the man says with tears in his eyes "killed herself because of Dr Mack's actions. They told us it was just the delusions. I knew it wasn't. I tell you..." he points his finger in the direction of the camera while his wife clings to him "We are going to sue the hospital for every cent they have, and we are going to make sure Dr Mack gets the punishment he deserves. This is a disgrace! How can it take a young schizophrenic girl to unearth this problem? How are people this incompetent?"

"But that isn't the only case Valencia solved..." Says Sally Suzak. "A week before she escaped, Valencia threw up each night, to rid the medication from her system."

A man in a lab coat appeared.

"People are saying, oh, she was sick... she didn't mean to do what she did. From the files I've seen, Valencia is a very high fuctioning girl, and with medication she is capable of living a rational, normal life. Valencia planned what she was going to do, on medication. Yes, her actions perhaps lead to the discovery of a young girl. However, the same outcome could have been achieved through a conversation with the FBI. Let's not forget she kidnapped and shot an innocent man."

"And that, she did." said Sally Suzak, the image suddenly of her infront of Betty's Books. "This is where, by an elaborate plan of luring her desired target in with promise of a returned wallet, a five hour hostage situation occured. Young Doctor, Spencer Reid of the FBI was held at gunpoint in this very store. Dr Reid is part of the FBI Behavioural Analysis Unit, the team who worked on the Washington Snatcher case eight years ago, though the Doctor was not part of the original case."

The young shop keeper of Betty's Books appeared.

"This is Beth," introduced Sally, "She was there that fateful day when Valencia Porter brought a gun into the store."

"I was just doing my business when a guy came in, saying someone from here called about his wallet. No one had of course. I was a bit confused at first, but then I saw it. This girl with red hair starts waving a gun around. I thought it could have been a robbery. She let two of our other customers go, and me eventually. I was so scared. She asked me to remember her name, and this other FBI agents name. Aaron Hotchner. I'll never forget it. In hindsight, I don't think she wanted to hurt anyone. She could have killed me, but she took the effort to calm me down, you know? I mean, it wasn't right, what she did... but from what I hear she saved a young girls life."

"Sources say that the man Valencia thought to be her father was actually Alex Newman, the man wrongly convicted of molesting her. Newman's lawyer comments further."

"I cannot comment on whether or not Alex Newman is Valencia Porter's bialogical father. What I can say is that Valencia has always stood by Alex and claimed his innocence. Alex wanted me to stress that none of this was her fault. The FBI majorly blundered this case, and as a result two innocent people were locked up, not to mention the horrendous crimes Dean Porter has been able to commit while he was walking around free. The fact that these blunders have been corrected by a 17 year old mentally ill girl says a lot about the capability of the city. What exactly are we paying the police for?"

"Is it true that Alex Newman caused the death of Anya Porter, Valencia's mother?" A young journalist asked.

"Alex is pleading guilty to manslaughter and unlawful disposal of a body. As per agreement with the DA, he will be served with a three year suspended sentence. Anya's death was accidental. Alex, believing Dean Porter's life was at risk as Anya had a knife pointed at him, pushed her, resulting in Anya hitting her head on a wooden cabnit. Alex did not know what Dean Porter was capable of at that point. The coverup of her death was pioneered by Dean Porter, who did not want known the reason why a brave, young Anya Porter had attacked him with a knife."

"Will Alex be suing the city?"

"I cannot confirm that."

"In the heat of the moment," Sally said, "A name came to Valencia. Eden Falls. Police jumped on this site as a possible burial ground for the Washington Snatcher victims."

"My...My names Leo. I work as a park ranger with my father here in Eden Falls. I heard the police were headed up this way... so I had a look around. I followed some tracks and I found a girl. I didn't know what to do, I thought she was dead at first. I'm just so happy she's alive. Yeah," he smiled "Her parents have contacted me since. She's not talking at the moment but they're just so happy."

"The girl, Lizzy Jacobson, was taken one week before she was found. She identified Dean Porter as the man who took her. A grave site was found near by, unconvering the bodies of 14 children. It is estimated that since Valencia's fateful call in march of 2002, Dean Porter has allegedly killed 6 more girls in the Washington area. Changes to MO kept the FBI thinking that the Washington Snatcher was at bay. Opinions of the parents of the victims differ;"

A woman cried. "I didn't think this day would ever come. It's been nine years but Catherine is finally home to mommy."

"Yes, we're just happy we can put this to rest. Make no mistake though, this revelation is all thanks to the brave men and women of the FBI. Valencia Porter shot someone, and I can't condone that."

"Valencia Porter is a hero. My girl didn't get a chance, and neither did Valencia. I know my girl would be so thankful for what Valencia did. Not only did she bring peace to all us parents, but she saved a little girl from the same fate as my daughter. I'd be willing to pay for whatever treatment she needs is she wants it."

"I'm not concerned with Valencia Porter. All I care about is that we can finally have justice for our little girl."

"If she had told the truth in the first place..."

The screen flashed back to Sally.

"Agent Jennifer Jareau of the BAU spoke to the press yesterday about the incident and how it will be handled in the future."

"Dr Reid is doing great. He was released from hospital two days ago as many of you already know. No serious injuries were sustained."

She spoke for a while about the effort of the FBI in conjunction with the Rosebyne Police Department.

"After much discussion with legal council, both our own and Valencia Porters, we have agreed that it would be best that Valencia will spend more time getting psychatric help. It is is in nobodies best interest to send her to a juvinille detention centre or charge her as an adult. Miss Porter is a very troubled young girl, who, at the time, cannot be blamed for her actions."

"And that's the scoop on the girl behind the madness. Jimmy's up next with sport. I'm Sally Suzack."

_*Click*_

"Girl behind the madness huh? Is that a pun?" she joked.

Maggie looked at the girl, shaking her head. Valencia sat upright in her hospital bed. Her hair was brushed, and though she was pale, she looked so much better than she had the other day, Maggie thought.

Maggie sat by her side on a chair, a remote in her hand.

"You really shouldn't be watching this stuff." Maggie warned.

Valencia dramatically put her hand to her shoulder, where she had been shot a week earlier.

"But I'm sore! I got shot you know." She smiled.

Valencia was well aware it was Maggie who shot her. She had been using it to play on her sympathies for the past hour.

"Yeah, just don't forget I could do it again." Said Maggie.

They both laughed. They had spent quite a bit of time together over the past few days.

The two of them saw Hotch appear outside the window.

"We still on for Go Fish later?" asked Maggie.

"Absolutely."

Maggie walked over to the door.

"Maggie?" Valence said.

She turned around.

"Thank you for shooting me. You saved my life."

Maggie just smiled.

"Don't mention it."

Maggie pushed the door open and met a concerned Hotch.

"How is she?" he asked.

"She's got a long way to go," said Maggie, "But she's doing better. A lot better. Actually, she's kind of a smart ass." Maggie joked.

"And what about you?"

"What?" Maggie asked, confused.

"We haven't really had a chance to talk since everything happened. How are you doing?"

"I'm... fine. It was a stressful case but I'm a big girl."

"You did great." Hotch said.

Maggie looked conflicted.

"I think you were right all those years ago about me being emotional. I thought you were projecting... but I've realized since this started... since interviewing Newman and Dean Porter... All I'm saying is that I could have been more professional."

"Maggie, we solved this case. You saved Valencia's life. I think you're okay."

Maggie still looked unsure. Hotch put his hands on her shoulders and leaned in so that he was looking into her eyes.

"Listen to me. How much you care makes you a great detective. A great agent. Don't ever think that it doesn't."

After an intense look Hotch quickly pulled away, realizing how close in proximity he had been. He coughed to break the awkwardness he was feeling.

"There is always a spot at the BAU if you want to come back. I think you'd be a real asset to the team."

Maggie half smiled.

"Thanks, but you'd be my boss."

Hotch looked a little hurt.

"Oh, I thought-"

"If you were my boss, I wouldn't be able to do this."

In one swift move, her body was inches away from his, her hands reaching to the back of his head and pulling him in so that her lips and his lips met in a spectacular fireworks display. She kissed him with passion, and he responded with only the same. Nurses, doctors and patients moved passed them, not noticing them at all. How is it possible that everyone was not jumping with joy?

Maggie pulled away, smiling. Hotch was stunned.

"I'll see you later Aaron. You know where to find me."

She walked away with a skip in her step.

Hotch still stood their stunned for a moment before clearing his throat and straightning his suit.

He made his way into Valencia's hospital room.

"Hello Agent Hotchner. Love is in the air?" she asked.

Hotch looked around and realized Valencias blinds were wide open and that very public display of affection.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." he awkwardly began.

"Relax. I'm just happy something good has come out of all this."

"I'm sure the Jacobson's would disagree that that's the only good things to come out of this situation. And all the other parents. And Alex Newman. And all the patients at St Mary's, and-"

"I get your point." Valencia said. she looked down. "I'm so sorry. What I did wasn't right. The ends don't justify the means."

Hotch moved to sit down in the chair Maggie was previously in.

"I should be the one apologising Valencia. I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

"It wasn't your fault. He had everyone fooled. Even me."

There was silence for a while.

"Alex Newman has been asking about you." Hotch said.

Valencia looked away.

"I'm not ready to see him yet. I don't know if I'll ever be."

Hotch didn't say anything.

"I know he thought he was doing the right thing. But he made some really stupid decisions."

Realization hit her.

"Like me." she said quietly.

Hotch looked around the room.

"It's like a jungle in here." he joked, referring to the many flowers, baloons and stuffed bears.

Valencia smiled.

"The nurses said they had to stop bringing them up. She wanted to know what I wanted to do with them. Apparently the pediatric unit is now full of flowers and bears with 'to Valencia' written on them."

"That was nice of you."

"Yeah well..." she drifted off. "People have been so nice to me. Some of these flowers are from the parents, some are from people on hospital boards praying I don't sue... but most are just from people that don't even know me. Just well wishers hoping I get better."

"Sometimes humanity suprises you." said hotch.

Valencia knowingly smiled, as Hotch had said exactly what she'd been thinking.

"Who's this from?" asked Hotch, holding up a sombrero on a bed side table.

Valencia smiled again. "That's from Agent Morgan. He dropped it off yesterday."

Hotch looked closer to find a note that said 'one day' wedged inside.

"Just wanted you needed?" Hotch joked.

"And more." she said.

They sat in silence for a while more.

"Aaron, can you help me do something?"

"Depends on what it is."

She took a breathe and looked ahead.

"I want to change my last name."

"To Newman?" Hotch asked curiously.

She shook her head.

"To Scott. My mothers maiden name. I resented her for not being there for so long. And I know that in all likelyhood we'll never know what she died for. But I'd like to think it was protecting me. To know that once upon a time someone truly did love me."

Hotch smiled.

"I think that's a great idea. I'll get the papers in order when I get back to the office."

_Knock knock._

The pair of them looked up to see Reid standing in the doorway. His arm was in a sling. Valencia started to fidget. She was really nervous about seeing him.

Hotch got up and made his way to the door.

"Thank you for everything Agent Hotchner." she said.

He nodded. "Be well Valencia." he said before leaving.

Reid took another few steps in.

"Hi." He said.

"Hi."

"You look better." Said Reid.

She started moving about all of a sudden, trying to get up.

"Spencer I am so sorry, I don't know what to say, I just AH!" she said in pain as her shoulder started stinging.

"Hey, calm down." Said Reid as he moved over to her bed and helped her back to her previous position.

She looked down.

"I'm so sorry for everything I did to you. It was wrong. I shouldn't have involved you in this. I know better."

"Valencia... You were sick. And you weren't getting the proper care you needed. It's just a suprise you didn't snap earlier."

Valencia smirked.

"That came out wrong..." he began.

"It came out just right Spencer." she said.

"How's the arm?" she asked with trepidation.

"They say I'll be out of this in a week or two. No serious damage."

"You're not just saying that are you?" she questioned.

"No." he said.

"How about you?" he asked, gesturing to her shoulder.

"Sore. But there are worse things." she said.

He nodded.

"I haven't messed you up have I? You're not going to start having violent flashbacks every time you watch the Channel Six news?" She asked in all seriousness.

Reid just chuckled.

"I'll be fine." he said. his face got serious all of a sudden. "How about you, will you be okay?"

She thought about it.

"I feel... okay. For the first time in my life. I feel okay."

Reid half smiled.

"Are you upset I'm not going to jail?"

"What?" Reid asked, confused.

"I'm just saying... If someone shot me, I'd want them to go to jail. Well," she looked at her own shoulder, "With exceptions."

"This is an exception." he said. "I know you didn't mean to do it. Besides, I'd rather anyone got the help they need than lock them up. I guess the DA recognized that."

"Yeah," Valencia scoffed. "That or it'd be a PR disaster." she half joked.

She shouldn't know these things, but he knew Valencia was right. He could see the press storm from that. 'Sick, abused girl who was denied justice gets sent to jail for saving a girl's life'. There is no way the city would have supported that.

"I talked to the doctors at the new facility you're going to. I met Dr Chang, she seems very competent. She understands the situation. Honestly, with your 18th birthday coming up, and if you keep improving... I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be released in a couple of months."

Valencia sat up a little more.

"What? I shot and kidnapped someone. They aren't going to let me out..."

"It's the circumstance that lead to you taking those actions that are most important. Had you walked into an unfamiliar shop and shot someone who you didn't know, the possibility of you getting out would be slim. The thing is... you were right in the end. What had been called delusions for years were true, and if someone had listened to you, it's unlikely that you would have commited those actions in the first place. The situation is so unique that you're not at risk of going out and shooting someone. You're actions weren't that of a delusional mentally ill psych patient, just someone..." he searched for the word "desperate."

Valencia looked ahead.

"I... I don't know how I would live on the outside. I haven't since I was a child. I don't even know what the world is like anymore."

"There would be help waiting when you're ready to take that step."

Valencia just kept looking ahead, wondering what it would be like to buy grocieries or go running at the beach.

"Of course, with everything that happened at St Mary's, patients are being transferred everywhere."

Valencia nodded, still in her own thoughts.

Reid walked over to the door, but Valencia was to busy thinking about ice cream and sunny days to notice.

"Actually, I think someone you know might be transferred to the same facility as you."

"Huh?" she asked.

Reid opened the door and waved someone in.

A mess of blonde hair came running in, squealing.

"V!" she yelled. "Oh my god, what did you do you silly girl!"

"Daisy." Valencia said, a huge smile on her face.

Daisy hugged her tighly and Valencia screamed out.

"Ah!" She yelped. "Bullet wound!"

"Oh my god, did I hurt you? I'm so sorry, I'm just so glad to see you!" She said in a hurry, and hugged her again, only softer this time.

"I'm really glad to see you too Daisy." she smiled.

"Is this the guy you shot?" asked Daisy

Reid half smiled.

"Daisy!" Valencia said, embarrassed.

"Look, guy... She didn't mean to shoot you, alright? It wasn't her fault. We're crazy, alright?"

She walked up close to him.

"COO COO!" she screamed. "Sometimes crazy people do crazy stuff, you know? We can't help it."

"Daisy! Leave the poor guy alone." Valencia said.

"I'm just trying to help." Said Daisy, feeling dejected.

"I know. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Said Daisy smiling brightly, now proud of herself for contributing.

"I think I'll leave you two to it."

"Alright. Cya." Said Daisy.

Valencia smiled.

"Thank you for everything Spencer. I mean it. I'd hug you but we only have two good arms between us."

"Maybe next time." Said Reid.

Valencia smiled.

"Next time?"

"Absolutely." Said Reid.

**THE END**

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Wow! Done! Finished! The End! It's all over!

Thank you to everyone who read and commented over the months. Special thanks go to some of my favourite loyal reviewers, ZannaBanana, CaseyRachel88, Miss Luny, 68luvcarter, Lolyncut, Tex Juxtaposer, Nymphadora-CullenBAU and all the others!

A special thanks to N-CBAU for letting me use first her name for Detective Maggie O'Dette.

What else is there? Oh, the titles! I don't think I've said this yet, but in case you didn't know, I don't own the titles. They come from artists such as The Decemberists, The Strokes, Laura Marling, Johnny Flynn, Ingrid Michealson, Regina Spektor, The Hush Sound and more.

I've had so much fun writing this. I hope Valencia wasn't to much of a Mary Sue. The rape or molestation seems to be used a lot (possibly too much in fics) but I hope you can tell that I wrote it that was because it was central to the plot, and not to make her some wounded damsel in distress. I'm only saying that because I find it's weird there are so many fics that go like 'Hai yah I was raped lol lets screw'

Annnywayyy... Thanks to Valencia, Frank and Maggie for playing along, a kind of thanks to Alex and a thank you but no thank you to Dean Porter and Dr Mack for being total dicks :)

That's it, I'm done, cya's later

PS- I never would have kept writing this if all your reviews hadn't been so great. Love you guys!

And please review one last time! x


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